Up to 40% of infertility is related to the male partner and up to 50% of sub-fertility cases also have some degree of male factor infertility involved. If your doctor suspects a problem, he will ask for a semen analysis test.
If you have had a vasectomy reversal in order to have more children, you will also be asked to have a semen analysis test to see if the operation has been successful.
What Is Involved With Semen Analysis?
You will be asked to produce a sample, usually at home, after abstaining from ejaculation for three days to increase the sperm count. You will then have not more than one hour to get the sample back to the clinic because sperm can only live for one hour outside of the human body.
If you are against masturbation for any reason or find it embarrassing, you can collect a sample by having sexual intercourse with your partner and then withdrawing your penis before you ejaculate and using a container to collect the semen.
Your doctor will then inspect the sperm for:
- Physical abnormalities - sometimes the shape of the sperm can be wrong, causing problems with conception. The study of the shape of sperm is called morphology.
- Sperm count - how many sperm there are in the semen sample.
- The volume of semen - too little can be problematic.
- How the sperm 'swim' - sometimes sperm cannot move very well. Sperm movement is called motility.
- White blood cell count - there has to be a certain number of white blood cells within the semen sample. Too much or too little could be a problem.
- Whether there is any sperm in the semen sample at all. Rarely, a man does not produce any sperm at all. This is called azoospermia and up to 3% of infertile men suffer from this condition.
What Is a Healthy Result?
It may surprise you to learn that healthy, fertile men have quite a large quantity of sperm that are abnormal. A healthy result is considered to be:
- Morphology - if the sample contains more than 30% of normally shaped sperm, this is considered healthy.
- Volume - up to 5mls but not less than 2mls of semen per sample is considered normal.
- White blood cell count - less than one million per sample is considered normal.
- Motility - if 50% or more are swimming forwards, this is considered normal.
- Sperm count - a healthy count is a minimum of 40 million sperm per 1 ml of semen.
- Vitality - this is whether the sperm are alive or dead. If more than 75% are alive, this is a normal result.
Treatments
There are varied treatments for male factor infertility depending on the type of problem you have.
Changing your lifestylecan be an effective treatment, as men who smoke or drink high quantities of alcohol or take drugs, cut their sperm count. They also have more abnormally shaped sperm.
Vitamin Therapy- vitamins E and C have been found to increase sperm count in some men.
Surgery- if your infertility results from a physical problem, such as a blockage in the vas deferens (the tube from the testicles to the urethra), then sometimes surgery can be effective at correcting the problem.
Hormone Treatment- in a small number of men, their infertility is caused by hormone imbalances. Modifying your diet may help, and there are hormone supplements available from your doctor.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection- if you have a low sperm count or a high number with poor motility, then a single sperm can be taken and injected directly into your partner's egg.
Intra-uterine Insemination - with this technique, only the best quality sperm are selected to put back in your partner's womb, giving her the best chance of getting pregnant.
Sperm Donation- If you don't have any sperm or are unable to use the ones you do have, then you might consider sperm donation, where a sperm sample from an anonymous and thoroughly tested donor will be used to help you have a family.
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