Semen Analysis

para>No upper limit defined Decreased In

• Testicular disease (primary defects)
• Posttesticular defects (disorders of sperm transport)
• Hypothalamic " “pituitary disease (secondary hypogonadism)

Limitations

• Minimum specimen volume for microscopic analysis is 0.1 mL.
• Highly viscous specimens may affect accuracy of concentration results.
• A minimum of two analyses, preferably 1 month apart, are recommended to correct for cyclical variation in sperm concentration.
• Specimen collection should occur within a window of 48- to 72-hour abstinence to maximize average concentration of live cells.

Suggested Readings

1Cooper ‚ TG, Noonan ‚ E, von Eckardstein ‚ S World Health Organization reference values for human semen characteristics. Hum Reprod Update. 2010;16:231 " “245. 2World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research. World Health Organization Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, 5th ed. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2010.