Pregnancy planning is an important moment in the life of each couple. Naturally, during this period it is necessary to undergo some examinations, consult a doctor and pass certain tests. Quite often, men are recommended to take sperm tests. Of course, representatives of the stronger sex are interested in additional questions. What does the spermogram show? How to prepare for the test? What deviations are possible and what to do in such cases? The answers to these questions will be of interest to many readers.
Indications for the test
Before considering the question of what the spermogram shows, it is worth learning about the main indications for such testing.
- The study is prescribed during pregnancy planning.
- If, for one reason or another, within 1-2 years of active sexual life without protection, the couple can not have a baby, both partners are prescribed tests.
- An indication for spermogram is male infertility caused by hormonal disorders, infectious diseases, genital injuries, varicocele and some other pathologies.
- A study is sometimes carried out during a routine examination, as well as to monitor the course and effectiveness of treatment for a particular disease.
- Men need to take a test in preparation for in vitro fertilization of an egg
How to prepare for the study?
In order for the analysis of the ejaculate to give really accurate results, you need to prepare for the procedure. For example, 3-7 days before the procedure, you need to stop having sex. At least 3 weeks before the test, you need to stop taking medications and dietary supplements (if termination of therapy is impossible, you must always tell the doctor about all the drugs taken).
In no case should you visit a sauna or a bath, take a hot bath on the eve of the test. It is also worth giving up smoking, drinking alcohol or drugs, and sharply limit physical activity. Naturally, after passing the samples, the patient can return to their usual lifestyle.
How is the test done?
Sperm samples are obtained naturally during masturbation. Ideally, the fence should be carried out directly in the clinic. The ejaculate is collected in a special sterile cup, which should be sent to the laboratory as soon as possible. Sometimes men can perform the procedure at home. In some cases, sperm can be taken from a condom. But it is worth remembering that the biomaterial must be delivered to the laboratory as soon as possible (within a few hours), otherwise the test results will not be reliable.
What does the spermogram show? Physical properties of sperm
There are many criteria by which ejaculate samples are evaluated. To begin with, the laboratory assistant carefully studies and writes down the physical properties:
- The amount of sperm. The normal volume of ejaculate is considered to be 2-5 ml (a decrease in this figure sometimes indicates inflammatory processes).
- What color should the sperm be? White, with a very faint gray or yellow tint (a color change can indicate purulent inflammation, damage to the prostate).
- The sperm has a normal pH of 7.2 (this is a neutral environment). Decrease, the formation of an acidic environment may indicate an inflammatory process in the testicles.
- Sperm viscosity and liquefaction are another important indicator. If the sperm remains liquid within one hour after ejaculation, this is considered normal (only in a moist, liquid environment the free movement of sperm is possible).
Sperm microscopy
Next, you need to evaluate other important parameters of the ejaculate, which is possible only with the help of optical devices:
- First of all, you need to determine the number of sperm in the ejaculate. Normally, 1 ml of sperm should contain at least 20 million germ cells. If this indicator is lower, then it may well become the cause of infertility (although this does not mean that the man is not at all capable of fertilization).
- One of the most important criteria is sperm motility, because in order to fertilize an egg, they must be able to move.
- Sometimes during the study, the doctor detects white blood cells in the semen. Normally, 1 ml of ejaculate should contain no more than 1 million white blood cells. An increase in their number indicates the presence of an inflammatory process.
- The amount of mucus in the semen is also estimated (an excess volume of the mucous mass disrupts sperm motility and often indicates the presence of problems with the prostate gland).
- Normally, red blood cells are absent in human sperm. Their presence may indicate a mass of pathologies, including the presence of a tumor.
Extended spermogram and its features
In some cases, extensive research is conducted to obtain the maximum amount of information. In addition to the above criteria, in laboratory conditions it is also studied:
- Sperm morphology (under a microscope, a specialist determines whether the shape and structure of sperm is normal; the number of abnormal germ cells should not exceed 50%).
- Sperm viability is another important criterion. It is believed that for fertilization, the sperm must remain motile in its natural environment for at least a day.
- The presence in the samples of the so-called antisperm antibodies. These are specific protein molecules that for one reason or another begin to be produced by the man’s immune system. Antibodies attack the sperm membrane, destroy germ cells and lead to the development of infertility.
When should you not take sperm samples?
In order for the analysis of the ejaculate to be as informative as possible, the preparation rules described above must be observed. In addition, there are situations in which this study does not conduct:
- after taking medication, after antibiotic therapy;
- after drinking alcohol;
- at elevated body temperature;
- in acute infectious diseases, including colds;
- after massage of the prostate gland;
- during an exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Possible violations
Now you know what the spermogram shows. But during laboratory tests, some deviations can also be detected:
- oligospermia - a condition characterized by a decrease in the number of sperm;
- azoospermia - there are no sperm in the ejaculate;
- asthenozoospermia - in samples of sufficiently live sperm, but their mobility is sharply limited;
- tetradospermia - in the ejaculate there is a large number of sperm with an irregular structure;
- neurospermia - in studies in the samples were found dead sperm.
It should be understood that only a doctor can interpret the results of a spermogram. Be that as it may, in most cases the problem of infertility can be eliminated with the help of a correctly selected course of treatment.