Protocol For Male Infertility Testing

The process of trying to conceive a pregnancy and going through infertility testing with his partner can be disconcerting for a man.  This process can force him to come to grips with his sexual side in a way that he never has had to before.  Many men are frustrated and embarrassed that they have to go through any of the testing at all and of course, they are fearful that the tests could show that they are the cause of the infertility.  The infertility testing process can be very lonely and confusing for the male because he has no one to talk to about it and probably would not talk to anyone if he did know someone who had been through it.  In addition, the female who may very well have gone through her own testing process cannot identify with the man and how he feels going through the testing.  There are certain things that the man worries about that there are no handbooks for but there should at least be instructions provided to the couple embarking on the testing process.  Just a few simple instructions on the protocol for male infertility testing could ease the minds of the men and make the process one with less anxiety and stress.

The first two and most common tests that will be performed on the male are the semen analysis and the urine analysis.  The urine analysis is easy because it involves the male going into the bathroom at the doctor’s office urinating into a specimen cup.  All of the testing is done in the laboratory from there and he needs to do nothing else.  The semen analysis is the test that causes the most stress or most men and for even some men will cause them to refuse testing.  Many times the fear originates from the unknown and these men would not refuse the test if they knew the process surrounding it.  Most specialists have a wing of their clinic set aside for the purpose of semen analysis.  There are private clinic rooms where the man goes for the test.  Even if the woman is not called to go back with her partner she is more than welcome to accompany him if they choose to do the testing together.  Many clinics do not make this known and couples are too scared to ask.  Once in the analysis room there is no protocol.  It is up to the couple how they want to go about the process and there really is no time limit.  Contrary to popular belief and contemporary movies, the nurses are not watching the clock or whispering back and forth outside the door.  Once the specimen is collected, be sure and label it with all of the important information and then it can be left in the room.

Most doctors do not advertise that the semen stays active for up to one hour after it is collected.  If the couple lives within that time period from the clinic it is feasible that the specimen can be collected at home and then taken into the clinic for testing.  There have been couples who live further away from their clinic get a hotel close by the night before their appointment, still collect the specimen at the hotel, and carry it to the clinic.  Many times the female partner can go to the appointment alone to drop off the specimen so those men who are just too embarrassed to be involved in the process are more willing to participate in these cases.  The clinics will not typically advertise these things but the couples can be their own advocates and insist on how they want their testing to be carried out.