The spermogram is a medical examination often prescribed as part of an infertility check-up. It allows to analyze the quality of a man’s sperm. Result normal, abnormal, days of abstinence, price…
A spermogram is the examination aimed at assess the quality and appearance of a man’s spermoften performed in the part of an infertility assessment. How’s it going ? How to prepare for it? Do you have to be abstinent before doing it? How to interpret the results?
What is a spermogram?
THE spermogram is the basic examination carried out in humans in case ofinfertility within the couple (inability to conceive beyond 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse). It consists of analyze the quality and appearance of spermwhich is the fluid expelled during ejaculation, made up of a mixture of sperm and seminal fluid.
Why do a spermogram?
The spermogram is systematically prescribed as part of an infertility check-up. We generally wait a year without pregnancy to propose this assessment. It lets you know if the cause of infertility is male or not (this is the case in about half of infertility situations). It can be supplemented by other examinations, such as a sperm migration-survival test, if the doctor deems it necessary. At the same time, examinations are carried out on the woman to investigate the cause of infertility.
Do you have to be abstinent before a spermogram?
Yes, it requires sexual abstinence fromat least three days.
The collection is carried out in a specialized laboratory while performing masturbation, in the absence of infection and after a sexual abstinence for at least three days. The patient must urinate before carrying out the collection in order to eliminate all the germs present in the canal of the urethra. For the same purpose, you are also asked to wash your hands and penis thoroughly with sterile compresses and a disinfectant solution (provided by the laboratory). It is advisable not to take a hot bath during the days preceding the collection. Sperm should be analyzed promptly after ejaculation. The patient can return directly to his home. The delays before the results of the spermogram vary from one laboratory to another. The average is around 10 days.
Where to do a spermogram?
A spermogram is carried out in a specialized laboratory.
What is the normal result of a spermogram?
“A normal semen analysis is characterized by a definition of the following parameters: volume, viscosity, a number of spermatozoa per ml, motility one hour after ejaculation, three hours after ejaculation, an analysis of the morphology of the spermatozoa and the analysis of some substances“, details Dr. Ludovic Ferretti, member of the andrology and sexual medicine committee of the AFU (French Association of Urology).
- Volume of ejaculation: between 2 and 5 ml.
- Sperm Concentration: greater than 20 million/ml of spermatozoa.
- Sperm mobility : from 50% to 60% of mobile form the first hour.
- Normal forms: greater than or equal to 50%.
- Normal acidity level: pH between 7.2 and 7.8.
The criteria differ from one laboratory to another, the controls when necessary must be carried out in the same laboratory in order to be able to validly compare the results.
What does an abnormal spermogram mean?
The more the results of the spermogram deviate from the normal results, the more the fertility of the sperm will be reduced. The pathologies that can be identified are:
- Azoospermia when there is a complete absence of sperm in the semen.
- Oligospermia when the concentration is less than 20 million/mL.
- Asthenospermia when the mobile sperm count is less than 60%.
- Teratospermia when there are more than 50% abnormal spermatozoa.
- Hypospermia in case of ejaculated volume less than 1.5 ml
- Aspermiawhen there is an absence of sperm.
- oligoasthenospermia when the drop in the number of spermatozoa is less than 20 million per millimeter and the drop in mobility less than 40%.
- Hyperspermia is characterized by an ejaculation volume greater than 6ml.
What are the additional spermogram examinations?
► In practice, the doctor can request an FSH test (stimulation of Sertoli cells that produce sperm), testosterone, sometimes supplemented with an inhibin b. LH test (stimulation of testosterone production) may be prescribed if the testosterone level is abnormal.
► “Ultrasound of the genital tract allows you to look for a malformation or the presence of an obstacle in the genital tract or a testicular anomaly, such as a tumor which can be associated more frequently with cases of infertility than in the normosperm population“, adds the specialist.
The karyotype corresponds to the study of human chromosomes. It makes it possible to search for a possible genetic anomaly in the event of azoospermia on 2 spermograms, associated in this case with a search for micro-deletion of the Y chromosome.
What is the cost of a spermogram?
You have to count between 25 and 40 euros for a spermogram. If the spermogram is prescribed (prescription), it is reimbursed by Social Security.
Thanks to Dr. Ludovic Ferretti, member of the andrology and sexual medicine committee of the AFU (French Association of Urology).