SEMEN

Semen is composed of 4 fractions that are contributed by the testes, what are those?

Epididymis, Seminal vesicles, Prostate gland, Bulbourethral gland

This is where the sperm mature and develop flagella. Furthermore, the sperm is stored here until ejaculation

Epididymis

Sperm maturation and the development of flagella takes approximately how many days?

90 days

This produce most of the fluid present in semen which is the transport medium of the sperm

Seminal vesicles

The fluid in the seminal vesicles contains a high concentration of what?

Fructose and flavin

The spermatozoa metabolize the _____ for the energy needed for the flagella to propel them through the female reproductive tract

Fructose

This surrounds the upper urethra and aids in propelling the sperm through the urethra by contractions during ejaculation

Prostate gland

This contributes about 5% of the fluid volume in the form a thick, alkaline mucus that helps to neutralize acidity from the prostate secretions and the vagina

Bulbourethral gland

These are paired glands in the scrotum

Testes

Testes contain ________ for the secretion of sperm

Seminiferous tubules

Cells that are for the production of spermatozoa which are located in the epithelial cells of the seminiferous tubules

Germ cells

These cells provide support and nutrients for the germ cells as they undergo mitosis and meiosis

Specialized Sertoli cells

DUCTUS DEFERENS or SEMINAL VESICLES. Sperm

DUCTUS DEFERENS

DUCTUS DEFERENS or SEMINAL VESICLES. Fluid

SEMINAL VESICLES

The _____ receive both the sperm and fluid

Ejaculatory ducts

This is when sperm does not display motility in the semen analysis

Absence of fructose

This is responsible for the gray appearance of semen

Flavin

Approximately 20% to 30% of the semen volume is ____ fluid produced by the prostate gland

Acidic

The milky acidic fluid contains high concentrations of?

Acid phosphatase, citric acid, zinc, proteolytic enzymes

It is important for semen to be ____ to neutralize the vaginal acidity present as a result of normal bacterial vaginal flora

Alkaline

TRUE or FALSE. Even without neutralization, the motility of the sperm would still be normal

FALSE

When a part of the first portion of the ejaculate is missing, the sperm count will ________,__ pH would be ____________,__ specimen will _________

Decreased; falsely increased; clot

When part of the last portion of ejaculate is missing, the semen volume will ______,__ sperm count will ____________,__ pH will __________________,__ and specimen will _________

Decreased; falsely increased; falsely decreased; liquefy

Specimens are collected following a period of sexual abstinence of?

At least 2 days to not more than 7 days

Specimens collected following prolonged abstinence tend to have?

Higher volumes and decreased motility

When performing fertility testing, WHO recommends that ___________ samples be collected not less than 7 days or more than 3 weeks apart

2 to 3

Semen specimen should be kept at a _____ and delivered to the laboratory within _____ of collection

room temperature; 1 hour

Specimens awaiting analysis should be kept at ________

37 degrees celsius

Specimen should be collected by?

masturbation

Ordinary condoms are not acceptable because they contain what?

Spermicides

If masturbation is not possible, only what type of condom should be used?

Polyurethane condoms

All semen specimens are potential reservoirs for?

HIV and hepatitis viruses

Semen specimens are considered as what type of waste?

Biohazardous waste

What are the parameters for semen analysis?

Appearance, volume, viscosity, pH, sperm concentration and count, motility, morphology

What is the appearance of a normal semen?

Gray-white color, translucent, musty odor

If sperm concentration is low then its appearance is what?

Clear

If there is a presence of WBCs and infection within the reproductive tract then there will be a/an?

Increased white turbidity

During microscopic examination, WBCs must be differentiated from?

Spermatids

This strip may be useful to screen for the presence of WBCs

Leukocyte esterase reagent strip

APPEARANCE. This is associated with the presence of RBCs and are abnormal

Red coloration

APPEARANCE. This may be caused by urine contamination

Yellow coloration

Since urine is toxic to sperm, it may affect the evaluation of what?

Motility

A fresh semen specimen is usually what?

Clotted

How many minutes before a semen specimen is liquified

30 to 60 minutes

Failure of liquefaction to occur within 60 minutes may be caused by a?

Deficiency in prostatic enzyme

YES or NO. Analysis of the specimen can begin even when the semen is still clotted

NO

If after 2 hours the specimen has not liquefied yet, what can you use?

Physiologic Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline, Alphachymotrypsin, bromelain

Normal semen volume

between 2 and 5 mL

Semen volume can be measured by pouring the specimen into a clean graduated cylinder calibrated in what increments?

0\.1 mL

____________ may be seen following periods of extended abstinence

Increased volume

______________ is more frequently associated with infertility and may indicate improper functioning of one of the seme producing organs, primarily the seminal vesicles

Decreased volume

This is the consistency of the fluid and may be related to specimen liquefaction

Specimen viscosity

_____ specimens are clumped and highly viscous

Incompletely liquefied specimens

This specimen can be easily drawn into a pipette and form small discrete droplets that do not appear clumped or stringy when falling by gravity from the pipette

Normal semen specimen

Droplets that form threads longer than ____ are highly viscous and recorded as abnormal

2 cm

pH should be measured within ___ of ejaculation due to the ___________ that occurs

1 hour; loss of CO2

ALKALINE or ACIDIC. Semen

ALKALINE

Normal pH of semen

7\.2 to 8.0

How will the infection within the reproductive tract affect the pH of the semen?

pH will increase

How will the increased prostatic fluid, ejaculatory duct obstruction, or poorly developed seminal vesicles affect the pH of the semen?

pH will decrease

The actual number of sperm present in a semen specimen is a valid measurement of _______

Fertility

Sperm concentration should be _______ sperm per milliliter

20 to 250 million

What is the borderline of sperm concentration?

Between 10 to 20 million per milliliter

Sperm concentration is usually performed using the?

Neubauer counting chamber

What is the most commonly used ratio dilution?

1:20

___________ is essential because it immobilizes the sperm before counting

Dilution of the semen

What were the traditional diluting fluid?

Sodium bicarbonate and formalin

Both sides of the hemocytometer are loaded and allowed to settle for how many minutes?

3 to 5 minutes

In Neubauer hemocytometer, the count should agree within?

10%

What is repeated when the counts in Neubauer hemocytometer do not agree?

Dilution and the counts

What type of microscope is used in semen analysis?

Phase contrast microscopy and Bright-field microscopy

When this stain is added to the diluting fluid it aids in visualization when using bright-field microscopy

Crystal violet

Only _______ should be counted

Fully developed sperm

Immature sperm and WBCs are often referred to as?

Round cells

Greater than 1 million leukocytes per milliliter may mean?

Inflammation or infection of the reproductive organs

Greater than 1 million spermatids per milliliter may mean?

Disruption of spermatogenesis

Sperm motility should be?

Forward, progressive movement

TRUE or FALSE. Sperm motility should be assessed using a well-mixed, clotted semen specimen within 1 hour of specimen collection

FALSE

A minimum motility of __ with a rating of ____ after 1 hour is considered normal

50%; 2.0

A type of instrumentation that provides objective determination of both sperm velocity and trajectory, as well as sperm concentration and morphology

Computer-assisted semen analysis

Abnormalities in the sperm head can cause what

Poor ovum penetration

Abnormalities in neckpiece, midpiece, and tail can affect what?

Motility

Critical to ovum penetration is the enzyme containing __________ located at the tip of the head

Acrosomal cap

This is attached to the head to the tail and the midpiece

Neckpiece

This is approximately 7.0 um long and is the thickest part of the tail because it is surrounded by a mitochondrial sheath that produces the energy required by the tail for motility

Midpiece

Staining of sperm can be performed using

Wright’s, Giemsa, Shorr, Papanicolaou stain

Air dried slides are stable for how many hours

24 hours

Includes measuring head, neck, and tail size; measuring acrosome size; and evaluating for the presence of vacuoles

Kruger’s strict criteria

_____________ are the predominant form of leukocyte in semen

Peroxidase-positive granulocytes

Peroxidase-positive granulocytes can be further differentiated from spermatogenic cells and lymphocytes using a _________________

Peroxidase stain

What happens to the vitality of the sperm when there is a normal sperm concentration with markedly decreased motility

Decreased vitality

Sperm vitality should be assessed within ___ of ejaculation

1 hour

Vitality is evaluated by mixing the specimen with a __ stain, preparing a smear, and counting the number of dead cells in 100 sperm using a bright-field or phase contrast microscope

Eosin-nigrosin stain

Living cells remains what color?

Bluish white

Dead cells stains against the __ background

Red; purple

50% or more living cells and should correspond to the previously evaluated motility means?

Normal vitality

Presence of a large proportion of vital but immobile cells means

Defective flagellum

High number of immotile and nonviable cells

Epididymal pathology

This is caused by lack of the support medium produced in the seminal vesicles

Low sperm concentration

Low sperm concentration also indicates what in regards to fructose?

Low to absent fructose level