Determination of Sperm Count, Motility and Morphology in a Human Sample

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BACKGROUND

The semen analysis or seminogram evaluates the male fertility either for pregnancy related queries or to confirm the success of vasectomy. It is also used to test sperm from sperm donors. The sperm is collected through different methods namely masturbation, condom collection, epididymal extraction etc. The semen analysis measures sperm count, motility, morphology, volume, fructose level and pH.¹

The normal sperm count is over 15 million sperm per millimeter. The motility of sperms is graded into 4 categories. The morphology of the sperms helps in diagnosing any abnormalities in the sperms. The volume of 2 ml to 5 ml is considered as normal volume and 1.5 ml as the lower reference limit. The normal color of the semen is whitish-gray and can be yellowish as age progresses. The other parameters measured are fructose level, pH, liquefaction, MOT, DNA damage and total motile spermatozoa.¹

The aim of the experiment is to determine sperm count, motility and morphology in a human sample.

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REQUIREMENTS

Subjects:     Human

Apparatus:  Hemocytometer

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PROCEDURE

The sperm is collected and mounted on hemocytometer. The sperm is diluted and the diluted sperm 10-15 µl is placed under the coverslip of hemocytometer and viewed under 40X magnification on a microscope. The sperms are counted in 5 of the squares and average is used for calculation. The hemocytometer has identical grid system with 25 large squares and count in each of the 5 large squares, which contains 16 smaller squares.² 

The sperm count is calculated as follows:

Concentration /ml = (Dilution factor) (count in 5 squares) (0.05×10⁶).

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CONCLUSION

The determination of sperm count helps in diagnosing various diseases of sperms as well as the reasons for infertility and success of vasectomy.

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REFERENCES

1. Available:https://www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semen-analysis. Accessed on 19 April 2018.
   
2. Available:https://www.ansci.wisc.edu/jjp1/ansci-repro/lab/procedures/hemocytometer/hemocytometer%20use.html. Accessed on 19 April 2018.