SPERM WASH AND CONCENTRATION
Sperm washing is a type of sperm preparation that’s required before intrauterine insemination or IVF. During this process the sperms are separated from the seminal fluid and chemicals and unwanted cellular debris is removed from the semen so as to improve quality of sperm pool and to avoid any adverse reactions in the uterus. This procedure further enhances the fertilizing capacity of the sperm and is therefore recommended in many cases with immune system disorders, male-factor or some sort of unexplained infertility.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
A sexual abstinence period of 2to5 days is recommend prior to collecting semen. Specimens can be collected at our facility or even at home but provided that it doesn’t take more than 30min to bring the sample to our clinic. For semen collection always wide mouth sterile plastic container is preferred . semen should be collected by masturbation ,application of any lubricant is strictly prohibited as it will contaminate sperms. Containers are available at our laboratory and can also be found at drug stores with the name urine specimen cups. Once the sample is collected, the container must always be kept upright with the lid tightly secured so there is no spill. If you produce the specimen at home, you just need to keep the specimen at body temperature. If the weather is cold we recommend that you place the container in an inner pocket. Allergies to antibiotics should be reported before sperm washing.
Sperm Washing Technique
If we talk about Sperm washing, it involves removing the seminal plasma , dead sperms, celluar debris and any cryoprotectant, if used, from the specimen prior to intrauterine insemination process.
Some sperm washing techniques that our establishment offers are:
- Basic Sperm Wash
- Premium Wash
- Swim-up Technique
Before going to Intra Uterine Insemination, very first step is sperm wash. To choose over which technique should be adopted for a particular specimen, a detailed study of semen sample is done much advance (preferably during menstruating phase of female partner). A trial wash may also helps determine the sperm washing technique which will yield the best and most effective results.
Basic Sperm Wash
This technique uses dilution of semen sample with sperm wash solution and then repeated centrifugation. Sperm wash solution contains antibiotics as well as protein supplements. Thus it facilitates removal of seminal fluid from the sample, reduces volume so the sperm cells concentration is increased per volume and their activity is also improved. This procedure takes 20 to 40 minutes.
Premium Wash
Premium wash or density gradient method is used when sperm motility is very low in original sample. By using density gradients we are successful to isolate a concentrated sperm pool with more than 90% active motile sperms . the outcome of such a sample largely depends on the quantity of initial sample submitted. Different concentrations of isolate (extremely dense fluid) are layered in a test tube in the order of ascending density. By using this technique we are able to remove all debris, round cells, non-motile & sluggish sperms and poor quality sperms .Only remains are healthy, fast moving sperms to increase the chances of fertilization many folds.
Swim-Up Technique
This technique uses sperm self-migration in order to obtain a sperm sample with a motility of at least 90%, depending on the initial quality of the sample. This technique is opposite of density gradient method as we get motile , healthy sperms upward into the added media by swimup technique. These harvested motile sperm are then subsequently used for insemination. This procedure may take about 2 hours. Oligozoospermic men (i.e. men with low sperm counts), men with poorly motile sperm and even men with male-factor infertility aren’t actually suitable candidates for this particular technique. Their sperm will actually have quite the difficulty swimming up out of the pellet into the nutrient medium.
Summary
The criteria for a good sperm wash technique provided by our establishment are cost-effective, easy and quick to perform, provides highly enriched functional sperms and to eliminate seminal plasma, debris, leucocytes, and dead sperm. However, none of the different methods available in the industry meets all the criteria. Hence we came to a conclusion and made it mandatory in all our clinics to include different sperm wash methods that are best suited for the variability of semen samples, to achieve the best possible outcome. Contact us if you’re really looking for the best sexologist in sonipat haryana.