The key factor in fertility for men is the quality and quantity of sperm. Even in the healthiest of men, sperm health can vary. The main issues are:
Sperm can have low motility
There are too few sperm present in the ejaculate - low count.
There may be no sperm at all, perhaps due to vasectomy
Sperm may be misshapen - abnormal morphology
There may be damage to the genetic material that sperm contain (DNA fragmentation)
High levels of oxidative stress may be present, this can be a cause of poor sperm function
We have a selection of tests which can analyse the health of sperm and identify any potential issues. When we have a complete picture of your fertility health, we can recommend appropriate treatment.
High levels of oxidative stress cause changes in sperm cell membranes, affecting their morphology and motility, as well as damage to their DNA. This DNA damage could result in DNA errors within an embryo, in turn causing lower pregnancy rates.
ZyMot can be used in the IVF laboratory to prepare and select sperm for insemination by ICSI. ZyMot relies on the sperm actively swimming through the membrane filter in the chip, demonstrating motility.
Sometimes sperm are not present in the ejaculate due to absence or blockage of the vas deferens. We can perform minor surgery to obtain sperm from the reproductive tract and achieve fertilisation using ICSI.
