What is the process of sperm testing?

If a couple has problems during pregnancy, both need to go to a regular hospital for examination. There are many items that both men and women need to check. For men, the most important task is to check sperm. Medicine will use a series of professional measures to understand the quality and vitality of men's sperm and other related indicators. I believe that most people do not know the process of checking men's sperm, so the following is a detailed introduction.

Sperm testing process:

1. Semen volume Normal ejaculation volume is about 2-6 ml per time. 1-2 ml is suspiciously abnormal. Less than 1 ml or more than 7 ml are considered abnormal. Semen volume measurement is related to the abstinence time before the sample is collected. The longer the abstinence time, the more semen volume. Generally, 3-7 days of abstinence is appropriate.

Under pathological conditions, when the amount of semen is more than 7ml, not only the sperm density is reduced, but also it is easy to flow out of the vagina, resulting in a decrease in the total number of sperm, which is common in seminal vesiculitis; less than 2ml is too little semen, but usually less than 1ml is too little. At this time, the contact area between semen and the female reproductive tract is small, or the viscosity is not conducive to the sperm entering the female cervix, resulting in infertility, which is common in severe paragonitis, low testosterone levels, ejaculatory duct obstruction, retrograde ejaculation, etc.

2. Sperm density is generally expressed as the number of sperm per milliliter of semen. The sperm density of ordinary people is 20 million to 150 million/ml, and there are great individual differences. Those with less than 20 million/ml are oligospermia, which is seen in spermatogenesis disorders caused by various reasons. The chance of sperm entering the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes is reduced, which may lead to low fertility or infertility; those with more than 250 million/ml are polyspermia, which affects sperm motility; if no sperm is found in the semen after multiple examinations or after centrifugation, it is azoospermia. The above three are all infertility factors. It should be noted that some people with less than 20 million/ml can still be fertile because of their strong sperm motility and low deformity rate. If the total amount of semen per ejaculation is less than 20 million/ml, then natural conception is basically impossible.

3. Liquefaction After normal semen is ejaculated, it becomes jelly under the action of the seminal vesicle coagulase, and becomes a less viscous liquid after 5-30 minutes. If it does not liquefy for more than half an hour, it means that the semen is not liquefied, and the sperm cannot move freely, thus leading to male infertility. In addition, if a glass rod is touched to the liquefied semen, the viscosity is observed, and it is gently lifted, a semen thread can be formed, and its length is normally less than 2cm.

4. Deformation rate Normal sperm has a flat oval head and a long, curved tail, similar to a tadpole; but some have a pointed head, a large head, or two heads, and a short, forked, or double tail. If these deformed sperm exceed 30%, it is called teratozoospermia, which can cause infertility.

5. How to check for abnormal sperm and semen in men? Color Normal semen is grayish white or light yellow. If there is blood in the semen and it turns red or pink, it is bloody semen. A large number of red blood cells can be seen under the microscope, which is often seen in inflammation of the accessory glands and posterior urethra, and occasionally in tuberculosis or tumors. If the semen contains yellow secretions, it is purulent semen. A large number of pus balls can be seen under the microscope, indicating inflammation of the reproductive tract or accessory glands.

6. The pH value of normal human semen is between 7.2 and 7.8. Too acidic or too alkaline is not conducive to the activity and metabolism of sperm. Less than 7.2 is seen in ejaculatory duct obstruction or urine contamination; greater than 7.8 is seen in seminal vesiculitis or old specimens.

7. Inflammatory cells: Normal semen contains less than one "+" number of white blood cells. Increased leukocytosis indicates infection in the reproductive tract or accessory glands.

8. The survival rate is usually within one hour after ejaculation, and the motile sperm should be no less than 70% (usually 60-80%). If it is less than 60%, it is asthenozoospermia; if all the sperm in the semen are dead, it is necrospermia.

9. Motility Sperm motility is generally divided into four levels. Level 0 refers to inactive sperm; Level 1 refers to sperm that moves in place; Level 2 refers to sperm that slowly swims forward in a curve; Level 3 refers to sperm that swims straight forward; Level 4 refers to sperm that swims fast in a straight forward. Generally, only sperm above level 3 have the possibility of fertilizing the egg. Generally, it is required that the sperm of level 3 + level 4 (some are marked as level a + level b) ≥ 50%. Common causes of reduced sperm motility and survival rate include paragonitis, varicocele, cilium syndrome caused by chronic respiratory tract infection, the presence of antisperm antibodies in semen, or improper specimen storage.