Semen Analysis

• A home test kit to determine sperm count has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This test can help a man find out if he has fertility problems.
• A semen sample collected at home must be received at the laboratory or clinic within 1 hour. Keep the sample out of direct sunlight and do not allow it to get cold or hot. If it is a cold day, carry the semen sample container against your body to keep it as close to body temperature as possible. Do not refrigerate the semen sample.
• Consistently detecting sperm in the semen of a man who has had a vasectomy means that his surgery was not successful, and another form of Reference birth control Opens New Window should be used to prevent pregnancy. A low number of sperm may be present in a semen sample taken right after a vasectomy. But sperm should not be present in subsequent samples.
• A man whose mother took the medicine Reference diethylstilbestrol (DES) Opens New Window during her pregnancy with him has a greater-than-normal risk of being unable to father a child (infertile).
• More tests may include measuring hormone levels, such as testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), or prolactin. For more information, see the topics Reference Testosterone, Reference Luteinizing Hormone, Reference Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, and Reference Prolactin.
• Other fertility testing, including sperm penetration, the presence of antisperm antibodies, or analysis after sexual intercourse (postcoital), may be recommended for infertility problems. For more information, see the topic Reference Infertility Testing.

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