Infertility is no longer a social taboo that it used to be. Being the best egg donation Treatment in Delhi NCR, more people are openly coming out with their problems and sharing with others their journey to parenthood. Not only this reduces stress and depression, but it also brings out more awareness and benefits the society in general. This includes male infertility.

Poor sperm count or zero sperms is not an issue about masculinity or being manly. It has nothing to do with virility or strength. No one becomes any ‘lesser man’ just because he has fertility issues. Poor sperm quality is a medical condition, and there is nothing embarrassing about it. Once this is understood, coming for testing and accepting the reports becomes easier.

One of the essential tests that is to be done compulsorily in all infertile couples is the Semen Analysis. Semen testing is the cornerstone in diagnosing or ruling out male fertility problems. At Janini IVF, the best Azoospermia Treatment center in Delhi NCR, our lab director Dr. Akanksha Mishra, the best IVF doctor in Delhi, supervises all semen analysis reports performed by her team so that each test is performed meticulously and as per the WHO guidelines.

What is Semen Analysis?

First, during a counselling session a thorough medical, sexual, personal and family history of both partners will be taken. If the male partner is known or suspected to be the cause of Infertility, a thorough physical examination including the genital area will also be performed. Thereafter, a semen analysis test will be prescribed as below.

Semen is collected in a disposable, wide-mouthed, sterile jar in the semen collection room. The room provides amiable environment for the man to produce the sample by masturbation. Although an abstinence period of 2-4 days is desirable, it is not essential. The collection jar is properly labelled (both on the lid and the main container) so that mixing or mis-identification is totally prevented.

Once in the Andrology laboratory, all the semen parameters including volume, pH, liquifaction time, viscosity of the sample, sperm count/motility/morphology, presence of RBCs/pus cells/antibodies are tested by trained and qualified personnel. If the diagnosis is Azoospermia (No sperm found) additional tests are done to rule out Cryptozoospermia and also semen pH, Fructose to see if it is Obstructive or Non-Obstructive Azoospermia.

Having thousands of cycles of experience in male infertility and having trained from some of the best Andrological institutes of the world, Dr Dalal prides in calling himself the “male infertility expert”. On the basis of the report Dr. Dalal will counsel about the investigation findings and the best treatment protocol that best suits your case.

Precautions while coming for Semen collection

• Abstinence of 2-5 days is desirable but not mandatory.
• Do not consume alcohol or tobacco 2-3 days before the test.
• If you have had problems giving semen sample earlier, let us know so that we can prescribe you certain medicines or have alternative methods available for you.
• It is advisable to stop any medications that you might be taking but talk to us before doing so.
• Do not use any lubricants or saliva.
• We do not encourage the practice of patients producing sample from their homes. However, if it is the only option we will guide you as to how to bring the sample safely from your home to our centre at Paschim Vihar within 30 minutes or so. For this the sample has to be kept near body temperature as much as possible.

Parameters that are analyzed during semen analysis

• The semen sample is initially observed macroscopically for time taken for liquefaction, viscosity, volume, colour, appearance and pH.
• The sample is then observed under the microscope to check :
• Sperm Concentration i.e. number of sperm in million per ml. According to the latest guideline, it should be a minimum of 15 million per ml for the concentration to be considered normal.
• Motility, which means the number of sperm that are moving. Normally more than 40% of the total sperm should be showing some sort of motility.
• Vitality, or number of sperm that are alive.
• Morphology. It is essential that at least 4% of the total sperm be of normal morphology. This may seem a very easy number but in the recent years, the normal sperm morphology has reduced considerably, contributing significantly to male infertility.

Semen analysis is often overlooked or not performed diligently, as its significance escapes infertility work-up. However, it is an integral and necessary aspect of basic fertility evaluation, and we, at Janini IVF, are dedicated to provide as thorough a report as possible to our patients. This eventually helps us to personalize a treatment plan for the couple who wishes to conceive.