semen analysis
jelly5
Posts: 4
i'm a bit confused about the semen analysis done and the quality if the donor samples. I understand the IUI samples are guaranteed for 10mil motile sperm and studies show anything above 5mil is fine.
But .... there are several organizations that state the 'normal' motility for a semen sample is 60% or greater. The CCB donors often have motility much less than this. Motility also can vary sample to sample .... and sperm can be motile but not swim straight.
why doesn't CCB provide the grade of the motility ?
when does CCB do the analysis ? how can it be post-thaw if the sample is now frozen ? is it frozen twice ?
how are all the samples for a particular donor handed out ? best first or random ? I seem to be getting donor samples with low 40's motility though the total counts yield ~12mil motile sperm.
couldn't low sperm motility be an indicator of something else ? athenospermia is defined as 40% motility or less. i thought the ccb donors were in the top 10% ?
But .... there are several organizations that state the 'normal' motility for a semen sample is 60% or greater. The CCB donors often have motility much less than this. Motility also can vary sample to sample .... and sperm can be motile but not swim straight.
why doesn't CCB provide the grade of the motility ?
when does CCB do the analysis ? how can it be post-thaw if the sample is now frozen ? is it frozen twice ?
how are all the samples for a particular donor handed out ? best first or random ? I seem to be getting donor samples with low 40's motility though the total counts yield ~12mil motile sperm.
couldn't low sperm motility be an indicator of something else ? athenospermia is defined as 40% motility or less. i thought the ccb donors were in the top 10% ?
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Comments
Also, 12 million motile sperm is pretty darn good! Especially if you are just counting the rapid swimmers?
Good questions. Please see the answers below:
Q: The CCB donors often have motility much less than this. Motility also can vary sample to sample .... and sperm can be motile but not swim straight.
A: The CCB guarantee is based on total motile sperm. As most references point out, the number of sperm and the percentage of "good" swimmers are equally relevant. A male with a below average count but above average motility is the same as the inverse.
Q: Why doesn't CCB provide the grade of the motility ?
A: It is listed as "Progression" in the Summery of Records that comes with your shipment.
Q: When does CCB do the analysis ? how can it be post-thaw if the sample is now frozen ? is it frozen twice ?
A: Each time we process a vial, a small test vial is also created from the same donation. The test vial is frozen and then thawed as a representation of the total donation.
Q: How are all the samples for a particular donor handed out? best first or random? I seem to be getting donor samples with low 40's motility though the total counts yield ~12mil motile sperm.
A: Our system generates the order. It is basically random. All vials carry the same guarantee.
Q: Couldn't low sperm motility be an indicator of something else ? athenospermia is defined as 40% motility or less. i thought the ccb donors were in the top 10%?
A: Specimen quality is one of the largest factors (along with health, gentic history, family health history, etc.) in determining donor qualification. There is a wide variance in the general population. Determining a donor's overall eligibility for sperm quality is a combination of count, motility, progression, and morphology (shape). Any donor we believed to be experiencing any form of male infertilty would be disqualified.
Side note: Sperm continues to thaw post-insemination (which is post-count). Sperm love 98.6 degrees, and motility continues to improve once the sperm is inside the body.
Hope this answers all your questions. Good luck!
Scott
CCB