Sperm collection



What you should know

At the same time as the egg collection, or straight after, the male partner will produce the sperm, preferably by masturbation.

The couple will be informed about the day of egg collection, at which time the male partner must have 2-5 days abstinence from ejaculation.



Sperm preparation

After the sperm production, the sample is processed (preparation-condensation) in order to select the motile and morphologically normal sperm. These are kept in the laboratory under sterile culture conditions until placed together with the eggs.



Ejaculation problems

These are identified during the preliminary examination of the couple and ways of overcoming them are explored.

In the case of retrograde ejaculation the sperm is collected from the urine following a special preparation process.

In patients with ejaculation deficiency, observed in cases of spine injury (paraplegic-tetraplegic), diabetes and neurological conditions, sperm can be collected by induced ejaculation using a special electro-induction device (electroejaculation).



Surgical sperm recovery

Sperm can be recovered directly from the testis either by needle aspiration (FNA) from the testis or epididymis, or via a surgical biopsy of small testicular pieces (TESE).

Surgical sperm recovery is recommended in cases of azoospermia or failure of electroejaculation.



What is azoospermia?

Azoozpermia is the absence of spermatozoa in the ejaculate, and it is classified as obstructive or non-obstructive. In cases of non-obstructive azoospermia the sperm is recovered surgically.

In obstructive azoospermia, sperm production is normal but no sperm appear in the ejaculate due to an obstruction of the male reproductive tract. The obstructive aetiology includes obstruction of the vas deferens, congenital absence of the vas, or vasectomy. In obstructive azoospermia sperm can be easily obtained using aspiration (FNA) or testicular biopsy (TESE).

In non-obstructive azoospermia there is no production of spermatozoa in the testicles. This complete lack of production or minimal production of sperm (oligoasthenoteratospermia, which is practically as severe as azoospermia) suggests testicular failure. The condition can be idiopathic or be attributed to lack of testicular descent, injury, inflammation, contractible diseases, radiation, chemotherapy or chromosomal abnormalities.

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