Analysis of sperm morphology

Infertility, the inability to give birth to a child depends not only on the woman, but also on the man, if he has few high-quality motile spermatozoa in his eukulate or they are abnormal. In order to establish the cause of male infertility, sperm morphology is checked, for which a spermogram procedure is used.

Men should have sperm containing more than 50% of sperm with good morphology. If he has little quality sperm, or there are more non-viable sperm than normal sperm, then there is almost no chance of conceiving.

Disorders in the structure of spermatozoa

If a man has sperm with an abnormality, then the following disorders may be observed:

Antibodies contained in the ejaculate can lead to various defects in the structure of spermatozoa. They block the process of spermatogenesis, interfere with the normal movement of gum, bind to their surface, and interfere with them in the performance of their function.

Sperm cells of normal structure

What should morphologically normal sperm look like?

• The ejaculate should contain about 20-40,000,000 livestock.
• The volume of semen should be at least 2 ml with active motile sperm at 25%.
• More than 15% of sperm should be without structural abnormalities.

For analysis, semen is taken from the mucous plug of the cervix after intercourse. Such cells from cervical mucus indicate that they have the ability to penetrate the cervix and fertilize an egg.

Semen is dripped onto a microscope slide, after drying, it is stained with two dyes. Then, under a magnifying glass, the shape of the head, neck and tail is determined.

Pathologies in the structure of sperm cells

Head defects:

• The head with a defect may be less than the norm or more.
• Elongated, cylindrical, amorphous, oval or pear-shaped.
• The head is not flattened, round.
• Defective acrosome (small or large); takes up less than 50% of the total head volume or is completely absent.

In some analyzes, the head may be absent, there is only a neck with a tail, there may be two heads, and there are more than 2 vacuoles located in the postacrosomal region.

Cervical anomalies

The neck is asymmetrically attached to the head, very thin or too thick, may be bent.

The abnormal structure of the tails is also referred to as an anomaly.

The flagellum is short and broken or in the form of a spiral. May be absent altogether.

Tail closed in a loop or with tubercles, bubbles or too thick.

If the head has a structural pathology, such spermatozoa do not have the ability to penetrate the egg. With a tail defect, sperm motility decreases, even if it is possible to penetrate, this will lead to the development of a fetus with abnormalities, a woman will lose a child in the early stages.

Analysis of morphology by WHO

Normal sperm morphology according to WHO should show at least 20% of healthy sperm with an ideal structure during analysis. To determine the ratio of normal to atypical sperm, men must pass a semen analysis.

Before the surrender procedure it is recommended:

• Refrain from intimacy for 3-4 days.
• Refuse spicy and fatty foods.
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol.
• 2 hours before the sperm donation, do not drink coffee, eat chocolate, do not take stimulants, sedatives.

There are few results from one analysis, after 2 weeks it is recommended to pass it again, for a more accurate result, the sperm analysis should be repeated after 5-6 weeks.

Kruger analysis of semen morphology

Recently, men prefer the morphology of the spermogram according to the Kruger system. The essence of the method does not differ from the WHO method: normal and pathological sperm are counted, then, based on their ratio, a conclusion is made about the ability of a man's sperm to fertilize an egg.

However, according to the Kruger system, screening is carried out more strictly, even the slightest deviations are taken into account. With this approach, couples get a chance for a long-awaited fertilization, since a large number of defective sperm are detected.

How is sperm morphology done according to Kruger? Men take a spermogram, to obtain more accurate data, their sperm counts several times.

The analysis is done taking into account:

• The appearance of sperm cells.
• Forms of livestock in general.
• Number of defective sperm.
• The presence of sperm with an abnormal structure of one of the parts: head, neck, tail, middle part.

After counting normal sperm, only sperm with an ideal structure are considered correct. All others are abnormal.According to Kruger morphology, a man can fertilize an egg with 14% ideal sperm. If this figure is less than 14, then the man is considered infertile.

Reasons for violations

Not all perfectly healthy men have a sufficient percentage of sperm with normal morphology.

Spermatozoa with impaired morphology appear when the ability of the male testicles to produce normal sperm is insufficient. Due to trauma and surgery, radiation, inguinal hernia, chemotherapy, the testicles cannot cope with their function.

Pathology with a decrease in testicular function can be observed with the expansion of the veins of the spermatic cord and varicocele.

Violations can be in the presence of a male disease of prostatitis, inflammatory and venereal diseases of the genitourinary system.

The reasons for the formation of pathology in livestock can be:

• Living in an unfavorable ecological area: in a radiation or gas-polluted zone.
• Poor food, alcohol abuse, medicines.
• Being in constant nervous tension, stressful situation.
• Physical and mental stress also affects the formation of sperm pathology.
• Presence of chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, diseases of the brain and spinal cord.

Untreated prostatitis, other diseases of the genitourinary system can also cause abnormalities in the structure of sperm.

Various injuries of the genital organs, their anatomical structural features, back injuries or surgical intervention on the prostate gland, testicles and testes can lead to sperm morphology disorders.

Prevention Tips

To predominate sperm with normal morphology, one must adhere to preventive measures. Men must undergo preventive medical examinations every year. With the timely detection of the problem and the appointment of therapy, diseases with complications can be prevented.

Boys in childhood and adolescence should be seen by a surgeon. Such examinations reveal various abnormalities in the form of phimosis, undescended testicles, which can be promptly eliminated.

After sexual intercourse with an unfamiliar partner, if symptoms of an inflammatory process in the genitourinary system appear, you should consult a doctor, take the necessary tests and complete the full course of treatment prescribed by a doctor. Alcohol abuse, smoking and drug use negatively affect the body of men.

An important factor is a healthy diet, food should be balanced, taking into account proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The menu should include vegetables and fruits containing trace elements and vitamins. You must not allow excess weight to be gained, you must load the body with physical activity.

All of these factors play an important role in good sperm quality.