All you need to know about your Sperm Test

If you were referred to us through the NHS, you leave your referral form with reception upon checking in. If you have referred yourself for semen analysis, you will be asked to make payment when you check in.
A member of the laboratory team will come to collect you from reception, and show you to one of our private production rooms. They will check your identifying details (Name, date of birth) and provide instructions;

• Produce a sample into the pot.
• Fill out the information on the envelope provided (time, abstinence period, and whether all the sample went into the pot).
• Place the pot in the envelope and leave it in the production room basket.
• If any part of the sample isn’t collected in the pot, inform a staff member.
• You are then free to go home.

Some patients suffer anxiety over producing a sample, it is quite common. Therefore do not be alarmed if you feel you cannot produce a sample on a particular day. You can always re-book (at no extra cost), or take the pot home for a less clinical environment. If you do produce the sample at home, ensure;

• You use the pot provided by Simply Fertility.
• The sample is not exposed to hot or cold temperatures.
• Our laboratory receives it within one hour of being produced.

How is my Sample Analysed?
Laboratory staff will analyse your sample within an hour of production to ensure accurate results. They will check the following;

• Concentration; the number of sperm per millilitre of seminal fluid.
• Motility; how many sperm are swimming, and how well.
• Morphology; the appearance of sperm, and presence of their vital parts.
• Volume; the amount of semen produced.
• Viscosity; how liquid the sample is.
• Cells; presence of immune or blood cells.

When and How do I get my Results?

These results will be compiled into a report. Private patients will be rung by an Embryologist (senior laboratory staff) either later that day or the following day. Referred patients’ results are sent to Broomfield Hospital, who will send them out to the referrer within 5 days. Your referrer should contact you within 10 days of your appointment with us to inform you of your results.

Once you have received your results, if you have any questions regarding them or fertility, do not hesitate to contact us- one of our Embryologists can run through them and explain each part, and it’s implications.

If your doctor does not provide the results to you after 10 days, give us a call. We can check with Broomfield Hospital that they were sent to the referrer.

Your result may be one of the above, or a combination of several.

If you want to keep trying naturally;

A result of normal sperm means you have a good chance of conceiving (obviously dependent on any issues your partner may have).
If you have Oligozoospermia, Asthenozoospermia, or Teratozoospermia, you still have a chance of conceiving, but the time it takes to achieve a pregnancy is likely to be longer.

If you want to undergo fertility treatment;

A result of normal sperm means you will be recommended for IVF (in vitro fertilisation), or IUI (intrauterine insemination).

IUI is when you produce a semen sample, which is washed and prepared so that only the best sperm remain. These are then injected via a catheter into your partner’s uterus. She will have been monitored so we know there is an egg waiting for them.

IVF involves putting prepared sperm and eggs in a dish together, and leaving them to fertilise. The resulting embryos are then observed for 5 days, and the best one selected to put into your partner’s uterus.

If you have Oligozoospermia, Asthenozoospermia, or Teratozoospermia, you will be recommended to undergo ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). This is when a single sperm from the prepared sample is injected into each egg. The resulting embryos are then observed for 5 days, and the best one selected to put into your partner’s uterus.

• Abstain from ejaculation for the correct number of days.
• Don’t smoke.
• Avoid/ lower alcohol and drugs intake. Even some prescription drugs can affect sperm count, so check with your doctor.
• Eat a healthy diet full of antioxidants.
• Exercise.
• Ensure the whole sample (especially the first part) are in the pot.

Missing the pot or incorrect abstinence can significantly affect the results- if either is the case ensure a laboratory staff member is aware.

If you make lifestyle changes such as giving up smoking, it is likely to be around 3 months before a positive effect is seen in semen analyses.