Spermogram

A spermogram is a male fertility test that checks the quantity and quality of your partner’s sperm. Your partner will be asked to go to a laboratory, clinic or hospital to provide his semen in a clean environment, and a clinical analysis will be performed on the quantity and quality of his sperm. Alternatively, some clinics will offer you the option of taking a sample at home.

Infertility is equally due to male and female factors. In the case of men, infertility is commonly due to a reduced volume of sperm production/ low sperm count (this is the cause of 25%-30% of all cases of infertility), or low sperm motility which would be identified when a spermogram is carried out. In rare cases, infertility may be due to a complete lack of sperm production (this only accounts for 2% to 3% of all cases of male infertility).

A spermogram enables your doctor to assess the following factors:

• The concentration of the sperm: the number of sperm present in a certain volume of semen (this is usually one millilitre)
• The motility of the sperm: how well the sperm move forward and how fast they progress
• The shape of the sperm: the proportion of sperm that are well-formed. It is important to note that it is quite usual to detect some misshapen sperm, even in the most fertile man!
• The agglutination of the sperm (sticking together): high levels of agglutination would indicate the possible presence of anti-sperm antibodies in the seminal fluid.

If your partner has a low sperm count or low sperm motility, your chances of getting pregnant may be significantly reduced. Timing and frequency of intercourse is therefore key to conceiving successfully. The state of the art technology used by DuoFertility identifies the most fertile days of your menstrual cycle with an accuracy of 99%.

Read more about the causes of infertility.

Read more about fertility tests.

Read more about infertility treatments.