Additional Services

Male Infertility Diagnostic Testing

Infertility diagnostic techniques can provide answers to many couples that have tried unsuccessfully to bear children. Although finding a cause for infertility does not always ensure having a remedy, it frequently enables the physician to determine the appropriate course of therapy and treatment of the infertile couple. International Cryogenics, Inc. offers specialized tests designed to provide important information with respect to the male fertility potential. The nature of the tests is to assess the patient's sperm fertilization capacity. The tests and services are performed by technicians with over 15 - 20 years experience in the field of diagnostic fertility testing. These services are readily available to patients and their physicians. Patients can call directly to set up an appointment for the tests prescribed by their physician. A physician's referral is not required to set up a semen analysis appointment. Male factor infertility is on the rise. We would like to work with patients and their physicians to aid in diagnosing and treating their fertility problems. The tests and services available are briefly described below. If additional information is needed please contact us by phone (248) 644-5822.

Sperm Washing and Capacitation for Artificial Insemination

Artificial insemination with the husband's semen is indicated if the husband's semen specimen is of a lower quality and/or the wife has fertility problems that indicate inseminations may enhance the couple's chance of conception. There are many wash techniques that can be utilized. The reason for washing a semen specimen prior to insemination is to enhance the quality of the specimen and to remove the seminal fluid. The physician can then do intrauterine inseminations on the wife utilizing the washed semen specimens.

Retrograde Sperm Wash Retrieval

Retrograde ejaculation can be caused by a surgical procedure, an illness or a congenital malformation. The patient usually will not have any seminal discharge after an ejaculate. This is because the ejaculate goes into the bladder. In correlation with the wife's ovulatory cycle the husband follows some very simple instructions at home prior to his appointment at our lab. We have him collect a specimen at our lab. We then attempt to separate the sperm from the urine. The washed specimen can then be used to artificially inseminate the wife at her physician's office.

Semen Analysis

This is an initial step in evaluating male fertility. The test determines if sperm, with normal count, motility and morphology (shape) are being produced in the ejaculate. The parameters measured in a standard semen analysis give important information regarding male fertility. The semen analysis includes determination of sperm concentration per ml, percent of motile sperm, percent moving with a forward progression, velocity, agglutination, amount of cellular debris, percent of abnormal morphology, volume, viscosity, pH, Anti Sperm Antibody testing, eosin stain viability test. It does not answer all questions regarding a male's fertility but is an important first step.

Post Chemo-Post Vasectomy Analysis (mini analysis)

This test gives patients the basic information needed to determine the effects of chemotherapy, radiation treatments, medications or surgical procedures on the quality of their sperm specimen. This is a short version of our complete semen analysis.

Patients that wish to confirm that their vasectomy was successful may choose this analysis. For post vasectomy patients numerous slides are viewed and the specimen is centrifuged to separate any sperm from the seminal fluid; the sediment is analyzed to check for any residual sperm that may remain in the specimen. Patients should have an accurate semen analysis with a result of no sperm seen, prior to having unprotected intercourse after a vasectomy.

Osmotic Membrane Integrity Testing

The objective of this study is to evaluate the functional integrity of the membranes of the sperm. Once in the female reproductive tract, the sperm should "swell" under hypo-osmotic conditions due to the influx of water and the expansion of the membranes. This process takes place prior to the sperm attaching, penetrating and fertilizing the egg. We induce this swelling process in the sperm by artificial means. We then evaluate the specimen to determine what percentage of the sperm swell. This test correlates closely with the sperm's ability to penetrate an egg. Therefore the hypo-osmotic swelling technique to evaluate the functional integrity of the sperm membrane appears to closely correlate with the invitro fertilizing ability of the sperm. It may be a useful addition to the standard semen analysis.

Live/Dead Stain (Eosin)

This tests the viability of the sperm. Sperm does not have to be motile to be viable. This test is very useful for patients that have very low motility parameters and are interested in the ICSI procedure. ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is when a single viable sperm is injected into the egg to induce fertilization. Sperm used for ICSI do not have to be motile but they must be viable.

Antisperm Antibody Testing

The presence of Antisperm antibodies can interfere with or inhibit fertilization. This test will indicate if there are antibodies present and if the presence of antibodies is weak or strong. This study is included with our semen analysis, but can also be requested separately.

Microbiological Tests

Microbiological organisms have been identified as a cause of reduced sperm motility, tubal disease, repeated miscarriages, or unexplained infertility. Very often, a microbiological infection is asymptomatic: therefore, these tests are important in helping to identify the cause of infertility. Tests available at our facility are Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhea, Ureaplasma, general semen culture and susceptibility. If left undiagnosed and untreated, microbiological organisms can contribute to a couple's infertility.