Do you understand these precautions when checking sperm viability?

Pre-pregnancy check-up is something that many families who want to have a baby have to do. In addition to blood and urine tests, men also have to check their semen. The quality of semen is directly related to men's fertility. Do you know what to pay attention to when checking sperm survival rate in the examination items?

Sperm Viability Test Notes

1. Abstinence should be observed for at least 48 hours but no more than 7 days before specimen collection. To reduce fluctuations in semen analysis results, the number of days of abstinence should be as constant as possible. Each semen analysis report should state the patient's name, abstinence period, date and time of specimen collection, whether specimen collection is complete, and the time interval from specimen collection to analysis.

2. For the first test, the test taker should have two semen analyses, and the interval between the two semen collections should be greater than 7 days, but not more than 3 weeks. If there is a significant difference between the two results, the sample should be taken for a third analysis.

3. The specimen should preferably be collected separately in a semen collection room near the laboratory. Otherwise, it should be sent to the laboratory within 1 hour after collection.

4. It is best to collect semen by masturbation. Semen should be collected in a wide-mouthed glass or plastic container that is non-toxic to sperm. The temperature should be kept at 20-40℃ to avoid reducing sperm motility.

5. If masturbation is difficult to collect semen, special condoms can be used for semen collection. Interrupted intercourse cannot be used to collect semen because the initial part of ejaculation may be lost, and the sperm density in this part is often the highest. In addition, the specimen may be contaminated by bacteria and microorganisms, and acidic vaginal secretions will also have an adverse effect on sperm motility.

6. Semen collection must be complete. Incomplete semen should not be analyzed.

7. During transportation to the laboratory, the specimen should be kept above 20℃ but not higher than 40℃.

8. The container for collecting semen must be marked with the name of the subject (and/or ID number) and the date and time of sample collection.