4 Types of male fertility tests, what is the procedure like?

A male fertility test may be needed if a married couple has difficulty getting a baby. Please note, not all difficult cases of pregnancy are caused by women. Some of these cases are caused by infertile men. Then, what are the types of male fertility tests and how to do these tests? Find out the complete information below.

Variety of fertility tests for men

To find out fertility problems in men, there are several types of tests that can be done. You can choose one of several tests that you can choose from to test the following male fertility.

1. Physical exam and medical history

One of the tests you should take to find out male fertility is a physical test. Usually, this male fertility test will be carried out by a urologist, a specialist who treats diseases of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, urethra, in both women and men.

Usually, in this male fertility test, the doctor will check your physical health and your overall medical history. The doctor will find out any conditions that can potentially interfere with your fertility. This could be a defect in the reproductive system, low hormone levels, illness, or an accident that you have experienced.

In addition, in this male fertility test, the doctor will also ask you, whether you have had a serious disease before, any health problems you currently have, or the use of drugs that affect fertility.

Not only that, in this fertility test, the doctor will also find out how your lifestyle has been. The doctor will ask if you consume alcohol, cigarettes, and certain drugs. The doctor will also ask if you are frequently exposed to radiation, pesticides, or other things that might affect your fertility.

Likewise, the doctor will ask how the body reacts during sex. For example, your doctor may ask you if you have ever had problems with an erection.

Meanwhile, the physical test is a part of the fertility test to find out any problems that may occur in the penis, epididymis, vas deferens, and also testicles. The doctor will also find out if there is a problem with varicoceles.

2. Sperm analysis

Sperm analysis is the very first type of fertility test for men to find out if there is a problem with the sperm that makes it difficult to have children. In fact, in every test that is done to determine male fertility, sperm analysis is one of the procedures that must be performed.

Sperm is needed in the pregnancy process to fertilize a woman's egg in the uterus. If the fertility test for men shows that there is only one sperm abnormality (shape, number, and speed of movement), then the man is more at risk for difficulty having children or even infertility.

In fact, what is examined in this kind of test is not only sperm. During this test, all kinds of other factors in the seminal fluid are also examined. Therefore, this test is more accurately referred to as semen analysis.

Requirements for undergoing sperm analysis

In carrying out this male fertility test, you must meet the requirements to undergo it. The doctor will tell you what conditions you must meet.

Before doing this test, your doctor may ask you to avoid the following.

• Sex or masturbation for several days.
• Consume alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
• Use of lubricants when removing sperm samples.
• Give a sperm sample when you feel unwell or stressed

In addition, the doctor will also ask you to tell you all the medicines, both prescription, non-prescription, herbal, and multivitamins used.

These must be done at the time so that the sperm cells can be used for analysis. The reason is, these conditions may change the condition of your sperm, so the results of the sperm analysis test may not match your conditions under normal conditions.

The analysis results of this male fertility test will determine whether the amount of sperm production or sperm dysfunction is the reason for infertility.

Sperm conditions that are considered normal

To see if the sperm is normal during a male fertility test, there are three things that must be considered.

• Sperm cell count
• Sperm motility
• Sperm morphology

According to The World Health Organization, a normal sperm count is 15 million per milliliter of semen. That is, there are at least 39 million sperm cells in a given sample.

If the number of sperm you have is less than the number that has been stated, this condition indicates that the sperm is considered abnormal and this could be a sign that a man has fertility problems.

Meanwhile, for the morphology of sperm, when viewed from a microscope, the normal head of the sperm is oval 4.0-5.5 mm long and 2.5-3.5 mm wide. A normal sperm tail is 9-10 times the length of the head, extends straight from the neck or forms a wave path.

If the sperm is of an abnormal size, for example the tail is forked or the head of the sperm is not oval, it is likely that there is an abnormality in the sperm produced.

On the other hand, sperm motility must also be considered. Sperm are considered to have normal motility if 40% of all sperm are free to move, and at least 32% must swim in a forward motion or in a large circle. If the motility is not normal, the sperm cells will have difficulty "meeting" the egg so that fertilization will be more difficult to materialize.

3. Hormone tests

Although it is classified as rare, one possibility of male infertility can be caused by a problem with one of the hormones in the body. A hormone produced in the pituitary gland, a hormone that plays an important role in stimulating sperm production.

If the hormone is reduced, the amount of sperm production will decrease. The hormones produced by the pituitary gland are hormones follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). These two hormones are related. So, if one of these hormones is reduced, the other hormones will also experience the same thing.

To find out how the condition of these two hormones, you can do a blood test by taking a sample of your blood which is then sent to the laboratory for examination. Generally, various types of hormones can be detected properly through your blood sample.

4. Genetic testing

Apart from the three male fertility tests that have been mentioned earlier, a male fertility test that you can also do is a genetic test. This test can be done by men when they experience the following conditions.

• The number of sperm that is produced is very small, you may not even find sperm in the excreted semen.
• Physical conditions that may be caused by genetic factors, such as small testes

Genetic test is a blood test that is done by looking at DNA or other genetic information. Some types of genetic tests for male fertility will count the number and type of chromosomes, while other types will look for changes or mutations that have occurred in a person's genetic code.

Usually, in the human body there are 46 chromosomes in each cell, namely 22 pairs of somatic chromosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. Sex chromosomes are genetic material that determines human sex. Females have a pair of X chromosomes (XX) and males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY).

The following are some types of genetic tests that you can choose to determine male fertility.

Karyotype

A karyotype test checks the number and type of chromosomes in your body. In addition, this male fertility test can detect if a person is missing or has an excess number of chromosomes.

Y chromosome microdeletion test

The microdeletion test checks for missing genetic information from the Y chromosome needed for sperm production.

Genetic testing for cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a condition that usually occurs due to genetic factors. This condition actually attacks the lungs, but it is also thought to cause male infertility. This test is done to look for faulty genetic mutations that can cause male infertility.

Get a male fertility test if you are having trouble having children. Consult a doctor to get the right fertility test recommendations.

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