What is a Semen Analysis?

Semen Analysis TLDR

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Kevin J Campbell, MD, a fellow in Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at Bayor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, with Dr. Larry Lipshutlz.

Since infertility affects women and men at an equal rate, it’s important for doctors to evaluate the fertility of men as well as women. One test doctors commonly use to evaluate a man’s fertility is the semen analysis. During a semen analysis, a man ejaculates into a cup or specialized condom. The semen sample is then examined by lab technicians for several parameters, including: sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and semen volume.

Parameter

What this tells us

Lower Reference Limit

Sperm Concentration

This is a measure of how many sperm are present per milliter of semen produced

15 million/millileter

Motility

This is an evaluation of how well the sperm are moving.

40% motile

Morphology

This is a measure of how many sperm have a normal shape.

4% normal

Semen Volume

This is a measure of how much semen is produced.

1.5 millileters

Limitations of a Semen Analysis

Although the semen analysis can be a useful first test for evaluating a man’s semen parameters, it doesn’t provide an accurate read of his fertility. In other words, having a normal semen analysis does not necessarily mean a man is fertile. He can have a normal semen analysis but still have problems with his fertility. This is because there are other fertility problems a man may be having that cannot be detected in a standard semen analysis. This means further, more advanced, testing may be required even if semen analysis results come back normal.

As scientists continue to learn more about infertility, they have developed more advanced tests that look at the level of the sperm DNA. By looking at factors deep within the sperm, we are able to get a better understanding of problems associated with infertility. Having a deeper understanding of these factors can help you and your doctor decide on the best infertility treatment.

Be sure to ask your doctor about innovations in male infertility testing. Having better information upfront, could help you save time and money on your path to pregnancy.

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Kristin Brogaard, PhD

Kristin Brogaard, PhD is Co-founder and CSO of Inherent Biosciences, a molecular diagnostics company at the intersection of epigenetics and AI. Dr. Brogaard is an experienced molecular biologist, study director, and operations manager for early stage biotech startups. She received her PhD in Molecular Biology from Northwestern University developing novel epigenetic technologies. She subsequently worked with Dr. Leroy Hood, a pioneer in personalized medicine technologies, first as a post-doc and then as a colleague launching a novel scientific wellness start-up, Arivale. Dr. Brogaard has broad business experience that includes launching and scaling the health startup, Arivale. Additionally, Dr. Brogaard was the Director of Program Management at Arivale managing all strategic projects with a highly qualified team of program and project managers.