Follow-up Care
Semen Analysis
General Information
1. The patient should bring two semen samples for analysis:
a. Six weeks AND 15 ejaculation after the procedure
b. 12 weeks after the procedure
2. He may drop off the sample at a University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine health center lab; no appointment is necessary.
3. The physician will analyze the sample and call the patient with results.
Steps in Semen Analysis
1. Place one to two drops of unspun semen on a slide and cover with a coverslip.
2. Under 40x magnification, inspect the sample for ANY sperm, whether motile or not.
Confirming Sterility
1. If both the six- and twelve-week samples are azoospermic, the patient is considered sterile.
2. The presence of sperm on the six-week sample necessitates obtaining two more samples that are azoospermic to confirm sterility.
Check a twelve-week and sixteen-week sample
3. The presence of sperm in any two semen samples (e.g., six-week and twelve-week, or twelve-week and sixteen-week) indicates failure.
Note
It is by convention that six-week and twelve-week semen samples are checked. There is no strong data to support this, but most physicians feel that documenting two negative semen samples is appropriate in confirming sterility. Some physicians check only a twelve-week sample, and if azoospermic, consider the patient sterile. If sperm is present, they may check a sample at 16 weeks.
Examples of Semen Analysis Slides
In this image: Positive semen sample. Under 40x magnification, sperm is easily visible.
