Analysis
includes the determination of standard parameters such as semen volume, sperm
concentration, motility and progressive motility. Sperm morphology is assessed
by modified William’s classification. Strict sperm morphology estimation
will be performed upon request. Degree of sperm aggulutination, leucocyte
count and liquification time will also be noted.
A
retrograde flow of semen into the urinary bladder can be a symptom of the
aspermic or oligospermic patient . Sperm recovered from post-ejaculate-voided
urine is analyzed, or processed for cryopreservation or artificial
insemination
Various
accessory sexual glands contribute specific components to seminal plasma such
as zinc (prostate), fructose (seminal vesicle) and pH. Such component
analysis, along with measurement of semen volume, may aid in the diagnosis of
obstructive azoospermia.
Sera of men and
women may contain antisperm antibodies, associated
with reduced fertility. Sperm antibodies often cause agglutination,
immobilization or binding to sperm surface. Our immunological assay includes
the detection of Sperm
Agglutinating Antibody, Sperm Immobilizing Antibody and Surface Bound
Antisperm Antibody (Immunobead Binding Test).
Semen not only contains spermatozoa, but also various substances that actually inhibit fertilization (de capacitation factors), and prostaglandin. Laboratory sperm processing removes these harmful substances, along with dead or damaged sperm. The processing also concentrates all viable sperm into an amount ideally suited for IntraUterine Insemination (IUI), a process by which a physician clinically places sperm within the uterus directly through the cervix.
Optimum time of IUI depends one any one or all of the following: Hormone levels, ultrasound measurement of your follicles, urinary ovulation prediction kit response, and the sperm quality of your spouse. According to recent studies, double inseminations 24 hours apart report higher pregnancy rates than single inseminations. Regardless, your physician will recommend the appropriate number of inseminations for you based on your age, clinical findings and your spouses sperm quality.
The
success of IUI depends heavily on the immediate availability of quality sperm.
In the event that your spouse is not able to provide a quality ejaculate, a
previously obtained ejaculate can be treated and incubated for next-day
insemination. As a viable alternative (and a useful precaution), ejaculate can
be cryopreserved for longer storage and then utilized whenever needed.
Sperm Processing: $ 195.00
Sperm Treatment: $ 205.00
Sperm Cryopreservation: $ 225.00
Semen freezing or “Cryopreservation” is a procedure by which spermatozoa is sustained in a state of cryptobiosis or “suspended animation” without affecting its fertilizing capacity.
Cryopreservation of semen is a reliable, safe, and time-tested procedure.
Thousands of babies are born every year from the use of cryopreserved sperm. A variety of patients could benefit by cryopreserving their semen for future use.
·
prior to chemo- or radiotherapy
·
prior to vasectomy
·
prior to anabolic hormones or men involved in
active physical sports
·
prone to sexual transmissible diseases
·
anticipating questionable future fertility
·
prior to medically assisted reproduction:
a) for availability of semen on demand
b) to reduce stress of masturbation on demand
c) to select the one with optimal sperm quality
Depends on the semen quality, the reproductive health of the couple, and for siblings. A few insemination doses may be obtained from a single ejaculate. Generally two to six ejaculates are sufficient for cryopreservation.
For cryopreservation, it is preferable to collect an ejaculate following three days of sexual abstinence. After quality analysis, ejaculate is divided into insemination doses, cryopreserved, and stored in liquid nitrogen (-1960C) in specifically identified and secured containers. The frozen samples may be kept for many years.
Anyone who wishes to cryopreserve his sperm will need to have an agreement for sperm storage with the laboratory which is renewed annually.
Semen freezing: $225. Per specimen
Storage: $350. Per patient (12 months)
Specimen release: $75.
Shipping
& handling:
$350.
We offer two sperm function assays simultaneously, which provides
reliable and
comprehensive identification of male factor related causes of infertility. You
can now be confident in:
#
The identification of male factor
related causes of infertility
#
The selection of the appropriate therapies such
as IUI, GIFT, IVF, and
ICSI
#
The discrimination
between true vs. false male factor causes of infertility from failed IVF
Causes
of failure in each step of fertilization can be identified. For the
spermatozoa to be fertile,
they must be motile with normal morphology and be able to penetrate and
migrate into the fertile phase cervical mucus (mucus penetration test). They
must be able to undergo plasma membrane changes (Hypoosmotic Swelling Assay),
such as capacitation and acrosome reaction, negotiate through the cumulus
oophorus and corona radiata, bind (Zona Binding Assay).
These assays can aid you to specifically address the patient needs.
Sperm
with a physically intact and functionally active membrane will respond to
changes in osmolality. This property of the sperm is utilized in the HOS assay
which has been shown to correlate highly with the ability of sperm to
fertilize intact human oocytes in vitro. It also appears to predict in vitro
fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa more reliably than the standard sperm
parameters.
·
Fertility and sperm quality are
linked, and an important indicator of sperm quality is sperm DNA integrity and
maturity: The more mature and intact the sperm, the better their overall
quality.
· As sperm mature during the course of their development, the chromatin of their DNA condenses. If the sperm is immature, however, then their chromatin will abnormally condense. Also, oxidative stress due to free radicals probably damages the DNA and cause breaks in the DNA strand
· Determining the extent of these structural defects in the DNA reveals the extent to which the sperm have successfully matured and remained intact, thereby evaluating their quality
SDI is highly recommended for the male partners of couples who exhibit:
·
A history of unexplained infertility
·
Poor embryo quality after in vitro
fertilization (IVF)
·
Implantation failure after IVF
·
Recurrent chemical or unexplained
pregnancy losses, or
·
Recurrent early spontaneous abortions
Recent
research reveals that sperm quality can influence not only fertilization
rates, but embryonic development, too. These paternal effects have been shown
to influence:
·
Embryo cleavage rates
·
Blastocyst formation
· Blastocyst implantation
SDI may be part of a routine semen analysis, or conducted along with any
other sperm assay such as the strict morphology estimation.