Home-run sperm tests: basics
Home-run sperm tests are very easy to use. Image credit gualberto107 at FreePhotos.net
Just like the pregnancy tests for women, that needs a few drops of urine of the woman who wants to check for pregnancy, home-run sperm tests for men work in a very similar fashion.
To carry out the check, the man (or woman!) has to simply mix his semen to a solution, and then put a few drops of the mixture onto a test strip that indicates the level of sperm count.
In a few minutes, the result window displays whether the sperm count is of acceptable level or not. A reddish line is considered normal that indicates that the sperm count is at least 20 million per milliliter. However, if no line appears, the sperm count is considered low, below 20 million per milliliter.
Honestly, is this not a perfect example of an information which women needs to have before a relationship becomes serious?
Especially a woman which may be in her late 30es or beyond?
This test allows assessing the male fertility in the privacy of home, and hopefully giving men a greater chance to understand their reproductive function, and of course ruling out situations of embarrassment.
But this test has limitations, as a typical semen lab analysis assesses many more sperm characteristics:
- Sperm concentration
- Vitality (percent alive)
- Movement (motility)
- Semen volume
- Shape (morphology)
- Total sperm number (sperm count)
And few more numbers which only an expert can put together in a meaningful way…
Because of this, home-run sperm tests just give an idea of the sperm count, but not the actual fertility of a man, which is also dependent on other factors.
It is quite possible that men with low sperm counts to father children or men with high sperm counts being unsuccessful in fathering children.
One factor that still hinders the easy popularity of such kits is the price. Though prices are coming down, companies have put it in the price range of $20 to $40, which still needs to be a bit cheaper for a wider circulation in the masses. Still, I find home sperm tests to be a great investment in any woman’s family plans and a gadget which can potentially save a lot of time for the women over 35.
