Video: What is a Semen Analysis?

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0:00:00.000,0:00:05.000 (text on screen): Ask the Expert 0:00:05.000,0:00:07.000 Fertility Authority. Your Most Trusted Source 0:00:07.000,0:00:12.000 What is a semen analysis? 0:00:12.000,0:00:17.000 Isaac Kligman, M.D., The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility: Another very important component of the infertility workup 0:00:17.000,0:00:20.000 is to do a semen analysis. 0:00:20.000,0:00:31.000 Semen analysis, basically, evaluates the male factor, as it's known to be responsible for 40 percent of the reasons for infertility. 0:00:31.000,0:00:38.000 A semen analysis is taken after three to five days of abstinence; it's collected by masturbation. 0:00:38.000,0:00:46.000 It is very important that the sample is collected either at the lab, or it's brought the lab as soon as possible, 0:00:46.000,0:00:56.000 because environmental factors such as excessive heat or excessive cold will decrease the motility. 0:00:56.000,0:01:04.000 Once you collect a semen analysis, the lab will check for several things. 0:01:04.000,0:01:10.000 One is the concentration. Two is the motility. And three is the morphology. 0:01:10.000,0:01:16.000 Sperm count, basically, is how many sperm per milliliter are in the ejaculate. 0:01:16.000,0:01:22.000 Normal, according to the World Health Organization, is 20 million or more. 0:01:22.000,0:01:29.000 Motility; basically what they do in the lab is take a sample and they look under the microscope 0:01:29.000,0:01:33.000 and they count what percentage of motile sperm they see. 0:01:33.000,0:01:39.000 So, normal motility, again, according to the World Health Organization, is 40 percent or more. 0:01:39.000,0:01:43.000 And morphology stands for the shape of the sperm. 0:01:43.000,0:01:49.000 In other words, the sperm needs to have a certain shape in order to be a competent sperm. 0:01:49.000,0:01:58.000 So, there are criteria called the "strict criteria," where the head, the mid-piece, and the tail need to have certain proportions 0:01:58.000,0:02:01.000 in order to call that a normal sperm. 0:02:01.000,0:02:10.000 And, as we see, with the strict criteria, 4 percent or more is considered a normal sperm morphology. 0:02:10.000,0:02:19.000 Patients typically are upset when the doctor tells them, oh, your husband's sperm, or your partner's sperm, is 4 percent normal. 0:02:19.000,0:02:26.000 They say, "Wow, that sounds very low." But actually, 4 percent or more is a normal sperm morphology. 0:02:26.000,0:02:31.000 (text on screen): Ask the Expert 0:02:31.000,0:02:32.000 Fertility Authority. Your Most Trusted Source