Sperm test (home test)

A sperm test for quick self-implementation should enable the man to check the quality of his sperm himself in a private atmosphere if there is an unfulfilled desire to have children . The home tests available are screening tests that measure the concentration or motility of sperm in the ejaculate in a semi-quantitative manner . Since only a single variable is determined, they are less informative than a laboratory-analytical spermiogram . The ability to reproduce ( fertility ) is therefore not predictable.

Simple older self-tests to determine the sperm concentration are based on color reactions. After the sample has been reacted with the appropriate reagents in the test device, the color intensity is assessed using the color of a control field, which corresponds to a concentration of 20 million sperm per milliliter. If the ejaculate sample to be assessed, depending on the reagent or test method, is lighter or differently colored than the control field, the sperm concentration is below this concentration, classified as "normal" by the World Health Organization (WHO), below which, with simultaneous restriction, further characteristics, natural conception seems unlikely. Resazurin , for example, is used for the color reaction .

Another measuring principle is based on the determination of sperm motility. In a test introduced on the British market in 2006, after the test device has been filled with ejaculate, the sperm cells contained therein have to swim a distance in a gel. This simulates the path through the mucous plug of the cervix ( cervical barrier ). The sperm cells that have arrived in the reaction zone after 30 minutes are marked with antibodies and made visible in color. If there are enough motile spermatozoa for natural fertilization (10 million per milliliter; at least 50% of the spermatozoa must have the forward mobility of WHO category a + b), two red lines appear in the field of vision. In comparison with established test methods, the test should have a high level of reliability. The test result is available after about 1 hour.

Another test was developed in Germany. The concentration of the sperm cells is measured using an immunoassay method. The test is positive from a sperm concentration of ten million per milliliter and is read by a color change after 15 minutes.

Web links

All available sperm tests

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sperm test: self-control without benefit test, issue 08/2000 ( Stiftung Warentest )
2. ↑ ^{a b} World Health Organization. Laboratory manual for the examination of human semen and sperm-cervical mucus interaction, 4th ed. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999.
3. ↑ Sperm test for at home. Pharmaceutical Newspaper Issue 7, February 14, 2006
4. ↑ L. Björndahl et al .: Development of a novel home sperm test. Human Reproduction 2006 21 (1): 145-149
5. ↑ A rapid test will soon give an indication of fertility. Doctors newspaper, April 10, 2007

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !