Michelle Emblenton, biochemist at inviTRA, tells us what is the most important part of the male fertility study:
When a couple presents for fertility testing, one of the most important things to test for, if looking for infertility in the male, is the semen analysis. This test consists of evaluating a semen sample to look if there are any alterations, such as the volume, the smell, the color, the texture... The sperm count will be performed to look at the concentration, to look at the motility of the sperm and the morphology of the sperm.
If you receive a semen analysis report that shows alterations in your semen, you will be required to undergo the test again, usually about 3 months later. Sometimes you can present with abnormal semen qualities, which may be due to factors such as stress, a poor diet, smoking, alcohol... and so it is a good idea to repeat the test after 3 months to see if there's any improvement in the sperm quality.
If after 3 months you give a second sperm sample and again the results come back abnormal, your specialist may then require further tests, such as looking at your sperm DNA to see if there's any fragmentation or specific chromosomal alterations to look if there is any infections. Or they may indeed want to do a testicular biopsy to look at sperm production itself.
