Читать книгу Need to Know Fertility, Conception and Pregnancy - Harriet Sharkey - Страница 127

Your partner will be asked to produce a semen sample through masturbation after abstaining from intercourse for at least two days. You should not collect the sample in a condom – most condoms have spermicidal lubricants that make analysis impossible. Nor should the sample be collected by coitus interruptus (withdrawal during intercourse) as much of the sample can be lost – remember that some semen is often released prior to ejaculation proper, which you may not be aware of. Instead, collect the sample in a wide-mouthed plastic specimen pot and promptly transport it to the laboratory, avoiding extremes of temperature. As there is marked variation in semen from day to day and week to week, at least two specimens should be assessed.

A normal semen sample has a volume of 2-4 ml (½-1 tsp) with more than 20 million sperm in each millilitre and a total of at least 40 million sperm in an ejaculate. At least 50 per cent of the sperm cells should be able to move forward, 75 per cent should be live, and more than 15 per cent of the sperm cells should have a normal form. If the analysis suggests