Most men are reluctant to talk about sperm testing. Image credit: ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Let’s face it: most men hate getting their sperm tested. Or are at best reluctant about their semen being taken a closer look at.

While impatiently waiting to get pregnant, infertile women tend to suffer in isolation.

At some point, they tend to put most of their friends and family on the distance, and sometimes even their partner, with whom they are actually trying to get pregnant.

And this increasing distance doesn’t make it easier to start talking about one important issue: semen analysis.

Why are man reluctant about doing fertility tests?

Over one third (many doctors say, up to one half) of all infertility issues is due to suboptimal  semen quality. These are the so-called “mild sperm issues” Especially for women over 35 who are on low ovarial reserve and have not much time to waste, this issue should be addressed as soon as possible.

Without saying that you need to put too much pressure on your partner or take all romance and spontaneity out of your sex life, be fair to yourself and keep in mind that you should not feel alone during this process.

It is no surprise that men don’t like their sperm being tested, counted, and analyzed. Still, there are information that both of you need to be aware of. Here is what you can do:

Image credit: nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Testing sperm in the clinic

Semen analysis in the clinic is much simpler then many husbands would think.

Actually, it is so simple that there is really no need to agonize and have exhausting long discussions over that issue.

Especially if a woman is over 35 and trying to get pregnant for over six months, it’s advisable to check on semen quality ASAP.

Take an adventage of still not being too long in the process, now that you still have a privilege of feeling innocently relaxed, and can take a visit to the fertility clinic as a short and funny trip to another planet.

Nothing special will happen there anyway: you will be asked silly questions and realize that many more couples sit in the waiting room for the same reason. Your partner may even get to watch some soft porn to help him leave a sperm sample, and then you will go home.

How complicated is that?

In a day or two, you will get the results, and they will tell you this:

Sperm count (total and number per milliliter)

Vitality (how many sperm are alive)

Motility (there are several subcategories to this)

Plus many other fine details (results will most likely be summarized in a few sentences on the laboratory sheet).

If there are any numbers you are not sure about, you can ask one of the qualified people in the clinic to help you understand it.

 Testing sperm at home

If you have a partner who is especially reluctant to have his sperm tested, then it may be best to make a test in the privacy of your own bedroom, avoiding any possible inconvenience and embarrassment.

Testing sperm in a home-test is as easy as testing for pregnancy or ovulation. I can well imagine that soon it will cost less then $30-40, and that new generations of women will become comfortable with using it.

To check the sperm count, a drop of semen needs to be mixed in a solution, and then a few drops of this mixture placed onto a test strip.

In just a few minutes, the result window displays whether the sperm count is on the acceptable level. The sperm count is considered low when below 20 million per milliliter. Everything above that is well suited for baby making. In theory at least.

Home-run sperm tests just give an estimate of the sperm count, but not the actual fertility of a man.

Even tests done in the clinic need to be repeated at least once, and the best thing to do is put a 2-3 months spacing inbetween.

The reason for this is that sperm values often oscillate and only repeated testing can uncover any mild underlying infertility issues, which will delay pregnancy and can be especially tricky for women over 35.

Supplements which help increase fertility in men:

Home test for determining the concentration of sperm in semen:

Books on male fertility, infertility, and diet: