What is Male Factor Infertility?
In order for a pregnancy to occur, sperm must travel from the male genital tract to the egg in the female and then penetrate the egg. This requires sufficient numbers of not only moving but functioning sperm that have the ability to undergo the biochemical process that enables them to fertilize an egg. An impairment in any aspect of this chain of events is called male factor infertility. How is Male Factor Infertility Diagnosed? There is no single test to diagnose for male factor infertility. A work-up for male factor infertility may include: An analysis of the number of sperm (count); how many are moving (motility), and what sperm look like (morphology). Tests to identify sperm antibodies to determine the capacity of sperm to function (computer assisted semen analysis; CASA) and to assess the sperm’s ability to attach to (zona binding) and penetrate the egg (sperm penetration assay; SPA) may also be performed. Physical examination and semen culture can also be important components of
