Semen Ananlylis

[nicolamark]

Can anyone help me make sence of this:

Abstinence - 0
Volume - 1.2ml
Liquefaction/Viscosity - Complete
Count (x 10 6/ml) - 25 x 10 6/ml
Progressive Motility - 80%
Sluggish & Non progressive Motility - 5%
Abnormal forms - 62%



Thanks, cause it means nothing to me. xxx

[Sand]

Hi Nicky. Hope you're okay - good to see you're going again. Right, are you sitting comfortably ......!

Abstinence - 0
This simply means the number of days since last ejaculation. Zita reckons should be 2-5 days for a sample. I'm sure Care said the same.

Volume - 1.2ml
Quote from Zita : The normal amount of ejaculate in a sample is around 2ml, or half a teaspoon. Higher than this results in a dilution in the concentration of sperm, which can affect conception. An amount of less than 1ml can suggest a past or current infection, for example a sexually transmitted infection that has blocked the ducts that produce seminal fluid. Retrograde ejaculation can also result in low volume [Retrograde is when the semen goes back into the bladder].
If there is low volume and no sperm, this would suggest a physical problem like the complete absence of the vas deferens, a rare congenital abnormality with which some boys are born, often referred to as CBAVD. Alarming though this abnormality sounds, sperm may still be produced perfectly adequately; they're just not being ejaculated. Assisted conception remains a possibility through the surgical removal of sperm cells and insertion into a woman's egg.

Liquefaction/Viscosity - Complete
Zita says : Semen has a unique ability to change its composition from being quite viscous at the point of ejaculation to becoming liquefied after about 10 minutes. This is essential for providing sperm with an alkaline and watery medium through which they can swim up through the cervix en route to an egg. If the liquefaction is poor, and is inhibiting conception, then a sperm sample can be washed and mixed with a suitable solution that allows for normal activity of the sperm before being inserted into the uterus to continue their journey.
It sounds to me like you're okay on this score.

Count (x 10 6/ml) - 25 x 10 6/ml
To quote Zita : This aspect of semen analysis provides what most people understand by the term 'sperm count' : the number of sperm present in a sample of semen. the average count nowadays is around 60-80 million per ml, although 20 million per ml is considered adequate. There is a great deal of research-based evidence that shows that sperm count is hugely affected by lifestyle factors : diet, alcohol, stress levels, exercise infection, tobacco and recreational drugs, all of which can play havoc with sperm production. Reviewing these and making changes may be all that's necessary to improve production. The complete absence of sperm in a semen sample is referred to, medically, as azoospermia, while a count of fewer than 20 million per ml is called oligozoospermia. A level of fewer than 5 million per ml can suggest a chromosomal abnormality, which may cause a woman to miscarry repeatedly. If the count is very low, or nil, then blood tests for hormonal assessment or testicular biopsy will probably be recommended.

Progressive Motility - 80%
Sluggish & Non progressive Motility - 5%
Zita's info on this says : To be motile is to be capable of motion. The body of a sperm contains an energy source which makes sperm capable of independent motion. Motility is a measure of the sperm's ability to move, which is a very important aspect of healthy sperm. An essential part of semen analysis is to check the ability of sperm to move quickly and in a straight line. The motility of sperm can be affected by lifestyle factors and the frequency of ejaculation. After a long period of abstinence there will be a higher proportion of dead and immotile sperm in a sample of semen. The motility of sperm is graded in four ways, and this is referred to as progression :
a) Rapid progression is where healthy sperm move at a good speed and in straight lines
b) Slow progression shows movement, but it is erratic and poor
c) Non-progressive motility describes sperm that are showing slight, twitchy movements but not moving forwards
d) Immotile refers to sperm that don't move at all
In any sample of semen you would expect to find a mix of sperm motility. A sample of normal, fertile sperm would include at least 50 per cent of categories a) and b) described above, or 25 per cent of category a). Where the analysis falls mainly into categories c) and d), you would expect a man to have a fertility problem that could prevent conception. The technical term for poor sperm motility is asthenozoospermia. It's worth mentioning here that heavy alcohol use can seriously affect sperm motility. While many think that the occassional alcoholic bender won't have much affect, this is a mistaken belief, and excessive alcohol intake can in fact affect the quality of a man's sperm for up to 3 months.

Abnormal forms - 62%
This describes the quality of the sperm, identified by the degress of abnormalities present. These abnormalities are divided into those affecting different parts of the sperm : the head, neck, mid-piece, and tail. Abnormalities can include irregularly shaped, large or small heads (and remember, the heads carry the genetic material) - even two-headed sperm sometimes occur. Tails can be non-existent, or coiled and ineffective. The World Health Organisation defines normal fertility as having a minimum of 15% normal sperm. If a man's level of normal sperm in a sample of semen falls below this, there is likely to be a degree of Sub-fertility, and where it falls below 5 per cent, a severe problem. Where there is a high percentage of abnormal sperm, the medical term is teratozoospermia This can be caused by lifestyle factors, and occassionally genetic defects. Age can also play a part : after the age of 40 the number of abnormal sperm increases, although if the percentage of normal sperm remains at or over 15 per cent of the sample, then all other things being equal there shouldn't be a problem.



Hope some of this helps to make sense of the analysis N.

Sand x

[ogr1]

r u going again
know that i am here for you

[Smita]

Hi Becky, Sand
How are you?

Hows things with you all?

Nicki,

Have you decided when you are going again?

Good Luck Honey,


Lots of Love,

Smita