Male Infertility Testing Ballarat
Male fertility plays a significant role in conception, so assessing the male partner is an important step.
It is crucial to assess the male partner when a couple are trying to have a baby.
Low Sperm counts and reduced motility of sperm can contribute to a couple’s delay in conceiving.
The cause of a low sperm count may not always be determined. Low sperm counts may be genetic . Some men may have suffered trauma or infection in their testes or prostate leading to a low sperm count. Surgery for “maldescended testes, or hernia surgery, despite being performed expertly, is associated with low sperm counts . Some men may have environmental factor leading to low sperm counts and motility.
Common environmental factors contributing to low sperm counts include:
- Smoking
- Excessive Alcohol consumption
- Exposure to herbicides,
- Insecticides and volatile agents
- Obesity
- Excessive heating of the testes
- Anabolic (Body builder) Steriods
Male Infertility Questions
How is male infertility assessed?
What does a semen analysis test measure?
Per sample, this test measures:
Volume of the semen sample
- Sperm count: Normal value is 15 million+ sperm/ml
- Motility: Normal value is 40%+ motile & 32%+ with good, progressive movement
- Morphology (shape/size of sperm): Greater than 4% normal sperm shape
- Sperm antibodies that may be present in the semen or blood: Anti Sperm Antibodies can affect a sperm’s ability to move and their ability to fertilise an egg.
The most common cause of sperm antibodies is a previous vasectomy. It is often the reason why pregnancy doesn’t follow a successful vasectomy reversal.