Male fertility exam at home

Dutch scientists have designed a chip that calculates the concentration of sperm cells in semen, and could be developed into the first male home fertility test according to this month’s edition of the Chemistry world scientific magazine.

Male fertility is assessed by counting sperm in semen. Current methods consist taking a sample to a laboratory technician who manually counts the number of sperm in a specific volume using a microscope¹; this method is tedious and prone to mistakes. As well as the inconvenience of getting the sample to the laboratory quickly, results from this procedure often appear to be subjective and it requires handling of the sample.

The chip is made up of a microchannel containing a pair of electrodes which measure the electrical impendance of the fluid at a certain frequency. Difference cells present in the semen are distinguished by the size of the signal. Doping the sample with a known quantity of latex beads and comparing the ratio of beads signals to sperm signals allows calculation of the sperm concentration.¹

This device is inexpensive and can be used outside the laboratory, at home for example. Other parameters used to assess semen quality could also be incorporated on the chip, which could lead to hand held devices for male fertility testing at home.¹

This device could potentially eliminate the embarrassment faced by men, who go to the fertility clinic; thereby empowering male patients to self diagnose in regards to their fertility.

References

1. Royal Society of Chemistry. Male fertility exam at home. Chemistry world. 2010 Mar. [cited 2010 Mar 25]; Volume 7(3): 34.