SEMEN COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

The analysis of a man's semen is easy, cheap, not too inconvenient and tells the doctor immediately the number of sperm present (total count), whether they move (their motility) and if so how well, and what they look like (their morphology). Other aspects of the examination include the volume and consistency of the ejaculate produced, the vitality of sperm (number actively moving), whether an infection is present in the genital tract and if antisperm antibodies are suspected. When the results of this data, along with other pertinent information (such as the period of abstinence before the sample was collected, the time delay between collection and delivery to the laboratory, how it was collected, any spillage and even the “quality of collection”), an assessment of a man's potential for fertility can be given. Frequently, more than one analysis is required, since the testes are a very sensitive indicator of general health and, as sperm are produced over a ten-week period, many factors can effect their production. Excepting azoospermia (no sperm present) no one measured parameter of a semen analysis in an individual is indicative of fertility - it is the assessment of a combination of factors, including your background health, that enable an overall prognosis to be made. The following questions may need an answer when you deliver your sample for analysis. The reasons appear alongside: 

Finally, the scientist assumes that what you deposit into the specimen container for semen analysis represents what you deliver to your partner at intercourse when all the conditions should be perfect. Thus, it is important to have a “good” collection.