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Simon Fishel
Care Fertility
What tests are there for male infertility?
Simon Fishel lists some of the tests available for male infertility, including testing the sperm for motility, morphology, and number, as well as seeing the sperm and the egg together under the microscope. IVF itself can be diagnostic.
Transcript
On the male side, there are many tests that we can do to see whether or not the man is likely to have a problem. But hardly any of these tests are really cast iron tests. For example, if a man has very few sperm, he's likely to have a fertility problem, but not necessarily. There are plenty of men out there with their own children who have a low sperm count. Equally, there are plenty of men who have a very high sperm count, but whose sperm is always unable to fertilise the egg. There are many aspects of the sperm that's important, too. It's not just how many there are, it's whether they're the right shape, because some men have a very, very high level of abnormally shaped sperm. They can't fertilise the egg. Also, how they move. Do they move in a certain type of motion? Just the quality of the sperm is important, but it sometimes doesn't give us the answer. One of the best diagnoses for fertility, especially in men, is to see the sperm and the egg together under the microscope. IVF itself can be diagnostic.