• Question: what do you do with the sperm everyday?

    Asked by double N' to Laura on 22 Jun 2015. This question was also asked by lord_mouldywort.
    • Photo: Laura Wales

      Laura Wales answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      Diagnostic Service – Men drop off their sperm sample so we can test their fertility. It’s usually because the guy and his wife/partner haven’t had any success in having a baby. We do the semen analysis then discard the remaining sample.

      We see patients that need to freeze their sperm for future use. For example, if a guy has just been diagnosed with cancer and the chemotherapy is likely to make him infertile, we store their sperm so that if they want a child in the future, the chance is there. These samples can be stored up to 55 years.

      We see sperm donors. Initially we carry out lots of screening tests and that includes testing their sperm – we look at quality and how they freeze. If not many sperm survive, we don’t continue with that donor. If it freezes well and a good number survive, we will store it.

      For the analysis, we look at motility (how they swim), concentration (numbers), morphology (shapes), pH and sometimes we need to see if there are any anti-sperm antibodies.

Comments