Often, the cause for low sperm count is never found. Azoospermia might be caused by a duct problem, a hormonal imbalance, or a problem with the testes. What It Is: Sperm concentration is the number of sperm found in one milliliter of semen. It could also be related to an abnormally high ejaculate volume. What It Is: Motility is the percentage of sperm who move. For fertilization to occur, sperm must swim up the female reproductive tract to meet the egg.
Being able to swim to their destination is essential. Total motility refers to any movement, while progressive motility refers to the forward movement in either a line or in a large circle.
Poor sperm motility may be caused by illness, certain medications, nutritional deficiencies, or poor health habits like smoking. Many of the causes of low sperm count can also cause poor motility. Often the cause is never found. What It Is: Sperm viability refers to the percentage of live sperm in the semen sample.
This is especially important to measure if sperm motility is low, to differentiate between live non-motile sperm and dead sperm. If more than half of sperms are immotile, further testing may be needed to evaluate viability. There are a variety of causes for necrozoospermia, including many of the same things that can cause low sperm count. Using a non-fertility-safe lubricant or regular condom can kill sperm, even if they don't contain spermicide.
Make sure you tell your doctor if you used lubricant or a regular condom to produce your semen sample. Ask your doctor about fertility-approved lubricants and specialty condoms that are available for the collection of semen samples. What It Is: Sperm morphology refers to the shape of the sperm cells.
The lab technician closely examines a sample of sperm, checking to see approximately what percentage have a normal shape.
The head, midsection, and tail are evaluated, as well as the measurements and proportions between each. Before , the World Health Organization had different requirements for sperm to be considered "normal" in shape. Labs may have evaluated sperm morphology according to the WHO criteria, or what is known as Kruger's Strict criteria.
Speak to your doctor to find out if they are using the outdated WHO criteria or Kruger's criteria. Poor sperm morphology may be caused by the same things that can cause low sperm counts. Sperm morphology is poorly understood, and because the evaluation is somewhat subjective, scores can vary on the same semen sample, in the same lab, using the same scoring techniques. If sperm morphology is abnormal, but all the other semen parameters fall within normal limits, then male fertility could still be considered normal.
What It Is: When semen is ejaculated, it is thick and gelatinous. This is to help it adhere to the cervix. The semen eventually liquefies to enable the sperm to swim better. What Is Considered Normal: Semen should liquefy within 20 minutes of ejaculation. What Might Be Wrong If Results Are Abnormal: Delayed liquefaction may indicate a problem with the prostate, the seminal vesicles, or the bulbourethral glands, which are also known as the male accessory glands. If delayed liquefaction occurs, your doctor might want to follow up with a post-coital test PCT.
This fertility test evaluates a female partner's cervical mucus after sexual intercourse. If sperm are found and moving normally, the delayed liquefaction is not considered a problem. What It Is: Semen pH is a measurement of how acidic or alkaline the semen is. The seminal vesicle fluid should be more alkaline, while the prostate fluids should be more acidic. In combination, they balance each other out in the semen. Currently, there's no consensus on how more alkaline semen may affect fertility, and so there's no upper pH limit according to the WHO guidelines.
This may point to an obstruction or absence of the vas deferens. What It Is: White blood cells are the cells that fight infection in the body. All semen includes white blood cells. What Is Considered Normal: The white blood cell count should be less than 1,, per milliliter of semen, or 1.
Bacterospermia is when excessive levels of bacteria are found in semen. Some men may have leukocytospermia and not have any active infection or male fertility impairment. People may require a sperm analysis for different reasons. Some individuals or couples will request a sperm analysis if they are having difficulty conceiving.
In couples that have been unable to conceive, some estimates suggest that there is a male factor present in 40 to 50 percent of cases. Up to 2 percent of men demonstrate issues with their sperm, resulting from one or a combination of:.
People may also have a sperm analysis to check if a vasectomy was successful. A vasectomy is a surgical procedure that doctors carry out for permanent male sterilization. Following a vasectomy, doctors typically recommend regular sperm analyses for several months to ensure there are no sperm remaining in the semen. The most common way to collect a sample is for a person to masturbate and ejaculate into a sterile cup. The doctor provides a private room for a person to do this.
In some cases, a person can collect the semen sample at home. A doctor can provide a special condom that allows a person to collect a semen sample during sexual activity.
Otherwise, a doctor may recommend that the person ejaculates into a collection cup while at home. When collecting a sample at home, people must remember to keep it at room temperature and bring it to the laboratory within a short timescale after collection.
The American Association for Clinical Chemistry recommends that medical professionals carry out 2 or more separate sperm analyses within 2- to 3-week intervals. As sperm profiles can vary from day-to-day, an average of these results may give the most accurate picture of sperm health.
A sperm analysis looks at several factors when considering the health of the sperm. We discuss these factors and their results below.
Sperm count refers to the number of sperm that are present in 1 ml of semen. World Health Organization WHO guidelines suggest that a normal sperm count is at least 15 million per ml or no fewer than 39 million sperm per sample. A vasectomy reversal is a day surgical procedure performed to re-establish the sperm pathway following a vasectomy.
The success of a reversal is dependent on the length of time since the vasectomy, amount of vas removed and presence of antibodies. Book a semen analysis Costs of male fertility tests Understanding Male Infertility Semen Analysis What is a semen analysis?
For some patients, we may recommend testing for DNA fragmentation within the sperm. Digital High Magnification For men with severely reduced levels of sperm morphology or with high levels of DNA fragmentation, Digital High Magnification of Sperm offers couples significant increases in fertilisation and pregnancy rates. Microsurgery Microsurgery can also be used to cure any obstruction, reverse a vasectomy , or surgically retrieve sperm. Vasectomy reversal A vasectomy reversal is a day surgical procedure performed to re-establish the sperm pathway following a vasectomy.
Male infertility assessment and treatment. Andrology Request Form Download. Request an appointment General enquiry. These conditions include orchitis , varicocele , Klinefelter syndrome , radiation treatment to the testicles , and diseases that can cause shrinking atrophy of the testicles such as mumps. If a low sperm count or a high percentage of abnormal sperm is found, more testing may be done.
Other tests may include measuring hormones, such as testosterone , luteinizing hormone LH , follicle-stimulating hormone FSH , or prolactin. A small sample biopsy of the testicles may need to be checked if the sperm count or motility is extremely low. You may not be able to have the test, or the results may not be helpful, if:. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.
Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Top of the page. Test Overview A semen analysis measures how much semen a man produces.
Tests that may be done during a semen analysis include: Volume. This is a measure of how much semen is present in one ejaculation. Liquefaction time. Semen is a thick gel at the time of ejaculation. It normally becomes liquid within 20 minutes after ejaculation. Liquefaction time is the time it takes for the semen to turn to liquid.
Sperm count. This counts the number of sperm present per millilitre mL of semen in one ejaculation. Sperm morphology. This is a measure of the percentage of sperm that have a normal shape. Sperm motility. This is a measure of the percentage of sperm that can move forward normally.
The number of sperm that show normal forward movement in a certain amount of semen can also be measured. This is called motile density.
This is a measure of the acidity low pH or alkalinity high pH of the semen. White blood cell count. White blood cells are not normally present in semen. Fructose level. This is a measure of the amount of a sugar called fructose in the semen. The fructose provides energy for the sperm. Why It Is Done A semen analysis is done to find out if: A man has a reproductive problem that is causing him to be infertile. A vasectomy has been successful.
The reversal of a vasectomy has been successful. How To Prepare You may be asked to avoid any sexual activity that results in ejaculation for 2 to 5 days before this test.
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