Clinical Information

Infertility affects 1 out of 6 couples of child-bearing age. Approximately 40% of infertility has a female-factor cause and 40% a male-factor cause. The remaining 20% of infertility is due to a combination of male- and female-factor disorders or is unexplained.

Semen is composed of spermatozoa suspended in seminal fluid (plasma). The function of the seminal fluid is to provide nutrition and volume for conveying the spermatozoa to the endocervical mucus. Male infertility can be affected by a number of causes. Chief among these is a decrease in the number of viable sperm. Other causes include sperm with abnormal morphology and abnormalities of the seminal fluid. One of the more successful treatments for male and/or female infertility is in vitro fertilization (IVF). Male partners are tested with the strict criteria sperm morphology test prior to IVF to assist in the diagnosis of male-factor defects.

Abnormalities in sperm morphology are related to: defects in sperm transport, sperm capacitation, the acrosome reaction, binding and penetration of the zona pellucida, and fusion with the oocyte vitelline membrane. All of these steps are essential to normal fertility.

Strict criteria sperm morphology testing also greatly assists with selecting the most cost-effective in vitro sperm processing and insemination treatment for the couple's IVF cycle. Sperm with severe head abnormalities are unlikely to bind to the zona pellucida. These patients may require intracytoplasmic sperm injection in association with their IVF cycle to ensure optimal levels of fertilization are achieved. This, in turn, provides the patient with the best chance of pregnancy.

Multiple semen analyses are usually conducted over the course of the spermatogenic cycle (approximately 70 days).