Sperm Analysis
At the centre our experienced Embryologists conduct a semen analysis service which includes the following:
Macroscopic Evaluation
This is simply the visual inspection and measurement of the sample. Firstly, the volume is measured and is typically between 1.5 – 5.0 ml. Next is the appearance of the sample. It should be white, maybe slightly off white and translucent, that is, you cannot see through it but it allows light to pass through.
Immediately after ejaculation the semen is a viscous, sticky semi-liquid which is quite difficult for the sperm to swim through. After about 10 minutes the semen undergoes a process that biochemically resembles blood clotting, except in reverse, and the semen becomes a free flowing liquid. This process is called liquefaction and is usually reported in the analysis as being complete or incomplete. Incomplete liquefaction is not necessarily a cause of infertility, but like an abnormal sample volume, it may give an indication to the functioning of accessary sex organs such as the seminal vesicles or prostate. The pH of the sample is measured and should be slightly alkaline at pH 7.2 or greater. An acidic sample with pH less than this is likely to indicate problems related to the seminal vesicles.
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Microscopic Evaluation
Initial examination of the sample under the microscope will reveal the presence of any cellular debris and also whether the sperm are freely swimming or agglutinated together in clumps. Either of these situations can indicate infection or trauma.
A certain amount of cellular debris can be disregarded, but high levels of agglutination may impact of fertility.
Sperm Count
This is usually expressed as the number of sperm per millilitre (ml) of semen; as such is it really sperm concentration. The total sperm count is the concentration multiplied by the volume (in ml). The minimum sperm concentration that is considered within the normal range is 15 million/ml. Having a concentration lower than 15 million/ml is termed oligozoospermia, a volume of less than 1.5ml is called hypospermia.
As you can see the total numbers of sperm are extremely large, especially when you consider that only a single spermatozoon is required to fertilise the egg.
Having a low sperm count does not mean that you are infertile, lower sperm counts may reduce the chances of a pregnancy each month. While ever there are any sperm present there is always the possibility of pregnancy.
The chances of pregnancy can be increased dramatically by assisted reproduction in which the sperm are prepared and enriched in the laboratory.
Motility
In fact a semen sample is considered morphologically normal if 4% of the sperm fulfil the normal criteria. The WHO morphology definitions are very specific so that semen quality can be recorded extremely accurately. Having abnormally shaped sperm is known as teratozoospermia. It’s quite likely that some of the sperm that are categorised as abnormal may actually function normally, but even if this were not so, an average semen sample containing say 100 million sperm in total, where 96% of them were classed as morphologically abnormal, would still have 4 million normal sperm available!
Morphology
This refers to two things, the number of sperm that are actively swimming (total motility), expressed as a percentage; and secondly the percentage of sperm that are making forward progress, usually termed progressive motility.
Some sperm will be swimming actively, but going in circles or spinning on their axis, which is not likely to get them to the egg. These sperm would be termed motile but non-progressive. It is really the sperm that are both motile and progressive (swimming in a straight line) that is the key number.
The medical term used to describe poor motility is asthenozoospermia. The lower value of the normal fertile range for total motility is 40% and for progressive motility is 32%. These figures seem a little arbitrary, and they are simply based on statistics, but motility remains the single most useful predictor of fertility. Having said this, assisted reproduction techniques now extend to selecting a single sperm and physically injecting it into the egg.
This technique is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), so even men with zero motility can become fathers so long as some sperm can be found.
Vitality
The results are reported as the percentage of sperm that are alive. The minimum vitality that is considered normal is 58% and the medical term for values lower than this necrozoopermia. Tests of vitality are particularly important in situations where there is very low sperm motility and ICSI is being considered.
Antisperm Antibodies
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that bind to foreign invaders in the body such as viruses and bacteria. They are one of the ways in which the body discriminates between self and non-self and we would not normally expect them to bind to our own cells. However, the testis is normally protected and sperm do not come into contact with the immune system. This can occur in cases of testicular injury, biopsy or vasectomy reversal and in a few cases a man may make antibodies against his own sperm.
The mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR) test is included in some routine semen analyses and this is able to detect antisperm antibody. Results are usually expressed as the percentage of sperm bound by antibody, and two subclasses of antibody (IgG and IgA) are commonly recorded. Anything less than 10% is considered negative and due to non-specific binding, but there are no concrete reference values for a positive result.
The WHO currently regard 50% or greater as a level likely to affect fertility, but this value is pending until further evidence is available. Problems involving antisperm antibody can usually be successfully overcome using IVF or ICSI.