What can affect the results?

Firstly, it is very important to follow the instructions for producing your sample. Failure to do so can affect the result quite markedly and could lead to misdiagnosis.

Secondly, not following the instructions can cause your sample to imitate conditions that you don't have and lead to fruitless investigations and treatment

It should also be appreciated that semen quality varies widely even in normal fertile individuals, therefore a diagnosis is not usually given before two samples have been examined.

Problems arising form a badly taken sample

1. Low volume

If you fail to collect all the ejaculate (you missed the pot, or the pot is leaky, or you tried to collect the sample by coitus interruptus (a definite no no)) then two problems can occur.

Firstly, missing some of the sample will cause the volume to be lower.Very low volumes are found in a condition called retrograde ejaculation which occurs due to abnormal function of the urethral sphincter due to trauma, anatomical abnormality, disease, drugs.

Secondly, the first part of the ejaculate is rich in sperm, the last part is poor in sperm. So, depending on which part was lost, your count could appear to be higher or lower than it actually is.

2. Appearance

The presence of red blood cells in the semen may indicate a reproductive tract infection.

Conversely, it may be a product of damage to a small capillary due to over active masturbation. A number of sample jars have sharp plastic rims and accidental injury is not unknown.

3. pH

pH increases with time and therefore the test must not be delayed past 1 hour as a low pH may become a normal pH in time. This can be important as:

A pH value of less than 7.2 with Azoospermia (no sperm seen) may indicate problems with the vas deferens (blockage or congenital absence). A normal pH with azoospermia may indicate problems with sperm production.

4. Loss of sperm function / number / motility

The following is a list of causes of poor results:

• Container
  Some containers may be harmful to sperm and reduce motility



• Period of abstinence
  Should be more than 48hrs but not more than 7 days.
  
  Prolonged abstinence can cause a raised sperm count but lowered motility
  
  Shortened abstinence can cause lowered sperm count but raised motility



• Time to deliver sample
  This should be no more than 1 hour. Sperm start to deteriorate after this. Motility starts to decline. Sperm start to die.



• Temperature on delivery
  The sample should be kept warm, but not too warm. Temperatures of less than 20°c or more than 40°c will be deleterious to sperm quality.



• Previous illness / life style
  Sperm are constantly being produced, but they take a while to develop. Things which happened three months ago can affect today's sperm count. Here are some of the things which can affect sperm production:
  
  • Febrile (i.e. causing a temperature) illness in the previous 3 months
  • Previous testicular surgery or recent trauma
  • Malignant disease
  • Drink binges
  • Use of tobacco / recreational drugs
  • Medicinal drugs, especially steroids
  • Contact with Agro chemicals
• Contaminants
  External contaminants may be harmful to sperm quality
  
  Reported contaminants have in the past included:
  Urine, blood, carpet, hair, saliva, soap, vaginal secretions, water, lubricant, talc, glove powder, tooth filling (!)




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What the tests measure

What is a normal result?

Assisted fertilization techniques

Back to introduction