The tests for male infertility are fairly simple and easy. After a medical history and an examination, the man's sperm are tested. He'll be asked to ejaculate into a cup in a private place in the doctor's office or at home, and this specimen will be evaluated. The man should not ejaculate for several days before he takes the test, because each ejaculation may reduce the sperm count.
Health workers will check the man's semen for several factors:
- sperm count (20 to 100 million sperm is the normal number)
- movement
- maturity and shape of the sperm (which reveal its quality)
- the amount of sperm produced (one teaspoon is sufficient)
- acidity (the semen should be slightly acidic)
The man may be asked to undergo this test twice, because some illnesses such as infections or viruses can affect the sperm. If a man has abnormal sperm, he'll be referred to a fertility specialist, where he'll experience more tests, such as:
- Hormonal blood tests.
- Imaging tests that check for swollen veins or reproductive system blockages.
- A testicular biopsy. This is a procedure done in the office. The doctor takes bits of tissue from the testes, and this tissue is examined to see whether the cells that produce the sperm are working properly.
- Anti-sperm antibody tests, which check whether the woman's mucous rejects the man's sperm. These tests also show whether the man produces antibodies to reject his own sperm.
- A hamster egg test, which studies the sperm's ability to penetrate a hamster egg. The outer covering of the egg is removed to allow the sperm to more easily penetrate. This test cannot result in a living embryo. It's expensive, however, and sometimes unreliable.
- A human zona penetration test, which tests whether the man's sperm can fertilize dead human eggs. Again, this test cannot result in a living embryo, and is thought to be more reliable than the hamster egg test.
- A bovine cervical mucous test, which checks whether the sperm can penetrate cervical mucous taken from a cow.
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