Male factor infertility is a factor in half of all cases of infertility. When couples come to our clinic for their new patient appointment, they are evaluated for both female and male factors. To assess male fertility, we conduct a semen analysis.

Semen Analysis

A semen analysis requires a male patient to abstain for no less than two and no more than five days before collection. Patients can call our patient care coordinators to book their appointment with the Andrology lab, located within our center. Patients should bring their physician referral form to their appointment if they are not already a patient of either Dr. Kaufmann or Dr. Elkins.

A male patient has the option to drop off or collect at the office. If the patient elects to drop off their sample, the sample must be brought ot the office within 45 minutes of collections.

What are we looking for in a semen analysis? Our andrologist, Michael Baker, PhD., looks for a variety of things in the semen, but the most important that he is looking for is the following:

• Volume – how much semen is there?
• Concentration – how many sperm are in the semen?
• Motility – what is the percentage of sperm that are swimming?
• Morphology – what is the shape of the sperm? A good morphology has nice, oval head, a correctly formed midsection and a tail free of defects.

Once the results of the semen analysis have been determined, a doctor or nurse will call the patient or referring doctor and let them know. The semen analysis will help Dr. Kaufmann or Dr. Elkins decide whether patient should use Interuterine Insemination (IUI) or In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

Normal limits for a semen analysis include:

Volume: More than 1.5 mL

Concentration: Greater than 15 million sperm per mL

Motility: Greater than 40% swimming

Morphology: Greater than 4% normal looking sperm

IUI/IVF Prep and Cryopreservation

Other procedures that take place in the Andrology lab include sperm washes for IUI and sperm freezes. Sperm washes are for IUI prep and must begin one hour before insemination. ” Semen is not meant to enter the uterus, so we wash it and remove the dead sperm,” Michael said. The washed sperm is then placed in the uterus, giving the sperm a head start in the race to the egg.

Sperm freezes occur for a variety of reasons, including fertility preservation or simply ensuring that the sperm will be available when the female patient’s cycle occurs. In order to do a cryopreservation of sperm, the male partner must come to the office. If a patient wishes to drop-off a sample instead of collecting at the office for cryopreservation, the male patient must bring in his own sample.

Please fill out our consents prior to your cryo appointment. This paperwork can be found here.

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