Infertility Tests For Men

1 Infertility Tests for Men

When dealing with infertility, doctors will tend to deal with couples. This obviously includes the male partner. In fact, male infertility is a substantial problem even though many patients see infertility as a predominantly female problem. Tests for men look mostly at sperm production and the exclusion of sexually transmitted infections.

This is done in the following ways.

1. Urine Test

A sample of urine may be collected and sent to the lab for chlamydia screening.

2. Semen Analysis

This forms the mainstay of male infertility testing. A semen sample is usually produced by masturbation. This is done close to or at the clinic or testing facility as rapid testing of a fresh sample is the only way to ensure accurate results. The semen sample is then processed and results obtained for several different parameters. These include;

Sperm counts: a semen sample may contain normal numbers of sperm, a reduced number (oligozoospermia) or there may a complete absence of sperm (azoospermia).
Sperm motility: this looks at how the sperm are moving or swimming. In some cases, adequate numbers of sperm may be present but they may have reduced motility.
Sperm morphology: this looks at how sperm cells look. If they look abnormal in shape and appearance, they may not be able to travel to the egg or fertilise it.

If an abnormality is found, the doctor may then ask for further tests such as blood tests or ultrasound scans to determine the cause.