What to Expect from a Male Fertility Test
On the day of the appointment, the patient will be asked to fill in a few forms answering questions about the sample, and to produce a semen sample. For this, he will be introduced to a private, sound-proof room that includes a chair, air-conditioning unit and a sink. After this, the patient is asked to leave the form and sample behind and take a seat in the waiting area, until document completion has been confirmed.
Understanding Your Semen Analysis Results
The scientific staff will then analyse the sample after a short incubation period, or process it for referral tests accordingly. Results will be shared with the patient and can be discussed with appropriate staff if the patient wished to book a consultation. During the consultation, results from previous tests will be discussed, as well as the medical history, ways to improve the current status and a potential recommendation for a referral clinician may be provided.
One test usually carried out and discussed is the comprehensive semen analysis. Beside standard parameters like concentration, motility and morphology, Fertility Solutions also examines antisperm antibody binding, pH, macroscopic characteristics and leucocytes. All these factors provide a thorough insight into the current fertility status and may hint towards causes of infertility, i.e. infection, poor lifestyle. Other tests offered include a semen culture, male and female microbiome testing which assess the presence and load of microorganisms in the reproductive tract. DNA Fragmentation testing can be offered too, assessing the degree of single- and double-stranded DNA breaks as well as the level of high DNA stainability (HDS). Oxidative stress in the seminal plasma can also be assessed using the MiOXSYSâ system. Lastly, following a vasectomy success of this procedure has to be confirmed, usually by performing a post-vasectomy analysis.
Home Fertility Tests for Men: Are They Accurate?
Having a semen analysis or other tests carried out in the clinic not only provides you with these additional parameters analysed, but also with a quality standard in the analysis procedure itself, with trained, scientific staff performing tests according to various regulations.
Opposed to this, patients have the option of home fertility tests. These can be purchased at a chemist of choice for little money and provide basic parameter testing for concentration or morphology. However, these tests only include a test strip like e.g. a pregnancy test that indicates a rough estimate of the parameter, but not quantitative numbers. The subjectivity of these results by the patient also introduces an additional level of inaccuracy, which may give an inappropriate idea of the fertility status due to false-positive or -negative result interpretation. In some countries like the US it has become an option to produce a sample at home, add a solution and drop the sample off at a later time without significantly impacting patient results. This has enabled home collection while not compromising results, will however remain less accurate than the procedure specified by the WHO due to the delay in time and unpredictable parameter decline.
Contact Fertility Solutions to find out more.
