Sperm Selection
One of the first steps in assessing infertility is an analysis of the male partner’s sperm. Semen analysis may uncover below-average sperm abnormalities in sperm concentration, sperm size, shape (morphology), or movement (motility) of sperm.
Once analysis is complete, sperm preparation for fertility treatments can separate highly motile, normal sperm from those of lower quality. This can be critical for treatments such as intrauterine insemination ( IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Advances in Sperm Analysis and Preparation
Sperm preparation has evolved significantly with advances in technological innovations, and here at Atlantic Reproductive Medicine, we are taking advantage of these advances. With the use of microfluidic technology in our state-of-the-art laboratory, Atlantic offers the best in sperm preparation, selection, and processing. Microfluidic technology allows us to process sperm samples in a way that goes far beyond the traditional methods of sperm washing and preparation used by most labs today. This advanced technology allows us to find and use the highest quality sperm for fertility treatments, particularly for cases of male factor infertility with high DNA fragmentation in their sperm.
Our microfluidic technology can sort out all sample semen specimens and sperm types: normal; low count; low motility (some motility must be present); viscous; low volume; a combination of these properties, and frozen samples.
What is microfluidics?
Microfluidics and microfluidic technology refer to the design and study of devices that move and analyze tiny amounts of liquids that can be smaller than a droplet. Microfluidic devices contain microchannels that range from submicron to a few millimeters. This technology is increasingly being used in the biological sciences because of its precision and speedy analysis.
How is Microfluidics Improving the Analysis of Sperm Health?
Our technology analyzes and prepares motile sperm from semen samples for use in IVF, IUI, and ICSI procedures by separating sperm based on sperm motility. With a microfluidic device, the healthiest sperm can be selected for use. The device also requires fewer handling steps of the semen and sperm sample. This is an important development because the fewer handling steps, the less risk for errors. This gives doctors, lab experts, and patients more confidence in the sperm separation process.
The process not only requires only a few steps, and it is also faster than ever before. The process of sperm separation takes about 5 minutes of total hands-on time per sample. This is a significant time saving over traditional sperm preparation methods. With less time and fewer steps, the results bring more confidence.