Today I am going to talk about a very weird topic but it is of great relevance especially to the young men who are yet to be fathers.
Have you ever performed a semen analysis? What were you told after the results were in?
Semen analysis is the process by the motility, vitality, concentration and other characteristics of an ejaculate is accessed. The purpose of this analysis is to narrow down the possible causes of infertility. |
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When should you perform a semen analysis?
Usually before people walk into the hospital or the laboratory with request for semen analysis, they have already discovered a problem the hard way. They are often married men who are not able to cause pregnancy. Some men also come for semen analysis when they are find themselves sexually weak.
One fact about semen analysis is that we cannot predict whether a specific man can become a biological father or not via the results of semen analysis. There are no specific properties one can measure in the whole population of spermatozoa that specifically reflect the fertilizing capacity of the very small population spermatozoa, which is able to reach the site of fertilization.
However, the results of semen analysis can be used to categorize men into groups with different probabilities of achieving pregnancy within a certain time period.
Also, the results from semen analysis can give us information about problems in the genital organs of the male; semen analysis can thus be used to focus the continued infertility investigation.
In case there is an ongoing investigation to find out the cause of infertility, semen analysis comes in handy.
It should however be noted that as much as sexual dysfunction can lead to infertility, they is a classical difference between the two.
Sexual dysfunction is the inability of a man to establish or maintain an erection through the period of a normal intercourse. Normal intercourse in this case may be subjective but it has been pegged within 2-3 minutes of continuous stroking!
Infertility on the other hand is a medical condition when a man cannot produce enough viable spermatozoa to cause pregnancy in a viable lady or a woman cannot establish and maintain pregnancy for the normal period of gestation.
I will talk about the causes of infertility and sexual dysfunction another time but for now I just want to give small information in case you are ever asked to produce a specimen for semen analysis.
Analysis of an ejaculate, obtained with masturbation, begins at the laboratory 30 minutes after ejaculation.
Usually the hospital or Laboratory will provide you the place to obtain the sample. This is the best way to get the best sample for semen analysis.
Before sample collection, the WHO manual recommends a maximum interval of abstinence between 2 and 7 days, but recommends that the interval should be “as constant as possible”.
Therefore you should always avoid any form of sexual activity 3 to 4 days prior to semen analysis
You may have difficulties producing a semen sample at the laboratory due to personal reasons. In these case you can collect a first sample at home but make sure to deliver it to the laboratory within one hour.
Sample from masturbation is the best for semen analysis but in case you can't/don't want to obtain sample via that means, it may be necessary for you to use a special, condom that is not harmful to the sperm cells to collect a sample at intercourse.