Semen

testes, epididymis, seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and bulbourethral glands

Semen is composed of four fractions that are contributed by the

Testes

are paired glands in the scrotum that contain the seminiferous tubules for the secretion of sperm.

lower scrotum temperature

The external location of the scrotum contributes to a ____ that is optimal for sperm development.

Sertoli cells

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

Seminiferous tubules of testes

Structure for Spermatogenesis

Epididymis

Structure for sperm maturation

Ductus deferens

Propel sperm to ejaculatory ducts

seminal vesicles

Provide nutrients for sperm and fluid

Prostate gland

Provides enzymes and proteins for coagulation and liquefaction

Bulbourethral glands

Add alkaline mucus to neutralize prostatic acid and vaginal acidity

90 days

The entire process of sperm maturation takes approximately

fructose and flavin

The fluid contains a high concentration of

Fructose

Spermatozoa metabolize the ___ for the energy needed for the flagella to propel them through the female reproductive tract.

Flavin

is responsible for the gray appearance of semen, as well as the blue to yellow fluorescence when semen is visualized under ultraviolet light

Prostate glands

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

acidic fluid

Approximately 20% to 30% of the semen volume is ___produced by the prostate gland

acid phosphatase, citric acid, zinc, and proteolytic enzymes

The milky acidic fluid contains high concentrations of

decreased, falsely increased, liquefy

When a part of the first portion of the ejaculate is missing, the sperm count will be ___, the pH will be ____, and the specimen will not

decreased, falsely increased, falsely decreased, clot

when part of the last portion of ejaculate is missing, the semen volume is ___, the sperm count is ____, the pH is ___, and the specimen will not ___

2 days to not more than 7 days

Specimens are collected after a period of sexual abstinence of at least ___ no more than ___

5%

Semen composition of Spermatozoa

60-70%

Semen composition of Seminal fluid

20-30%

Semen composition of Prostate fluid

5%

Semen composition of Bulbourethral glands

room, 1 hour

the specimen should be kept at ___ temperature and delivered to the laboratory within ___ of collection.

name and birth date, the period of sexual abstinence, the completeness of the specimen, any difficulties with collection, and the times of specimen collection and specimen receipt

Laboratory personnel must record the patient's

37 C

Specimens awaiting analysis should be kept at

nonspermicidial, nonlubricant-containing rubber or polyurethane condoms should be used.

If Specimens is not collected by masturbation, what can be only used

Coitus interruptus

is not a reliable means of semen collection because the first portion of the ejaculate, which contains the highest number of spermatozoa, may be lost and the low pH of the vaginal fluid may affect sperm motility

HIV, herpes viruses, and hepatitis viruses

All semen specimens are potential reservoirs for

biohazardous waste

Semen specimens are discarded as

gray-white color, appears translucent

Normal semen has a (color, turbidity/appearance)

Musty

Odor of semen

white blood cells (WBCs) and infection

Increased white turbidity indicates the presence of

leukocyte esterase reagent strip test

may be useful to screen for the presence of WBCs

Red blood cells

Varying amounts of red coloration are associated with the presence of

urine contamination,

prolonged abstinence, and medications.

Yellow coloration may be caused by

30 to 60 minutes

A fresh semen specimen is clotted and should liquefy within

deficiency in prostatic enzymes

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

liquefaction

Analysis of the specimen cannot begin until ___ has occurred

Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline or proteolytic enzymes, such as alpha-chymotrypsin or bromelain

If after 2 hours the specimen has not liquified, an equal volume of ____, may be added to induce liquefaction and allow the rest of the analysis to be performed

bromelain

The dilution of semen with ___ must be accounted for when calculating sperm concentration

Liquefaction

Delivery of the semen specimen to the laboratory within 1 hour of collection and documentation of the collection time are critical to evaluate

2-5 ml

Volume

Pours in droplets within 60 minutes

Viscosity

7.2- 8.0

Ph

>20 million/mL

Sperm conc

>40 million/ ejaculate

Sperm count

>50% within 1 hr

Motility

>2.0 or a, b, c

Quality

>75%

Vitality

>14% normal forms (strict criteria) >30% normal forms (routine criteria)

Morphology

<1.0 million/mL

Round cells

seminal vesicles.

Decreased volume is associated more frequently with infertility and may indicate improper functioning of the ___

Viscosity

refers to the consistency of the fluid and may be related to specimen liquefaction

2 cm

Droplets that form threads longer than ___ are considered highly viscous and are recorded as abnormal.

sperm motility, sperm concentration, antisperm antibody detection, and measurement of biochemical markers.

Increased viscosity and incomplete liquefaction impede testing for

prostatic , seminal vesicles

The pH of semen indicates the balance between the pH values from the acidic ___secretion and the alkaline ___ secretion

Infection

Increased pH indicates

increased prostatic fluid,

obstruction of the ejaculatory duct, or poorly developed seminal vesicles

A decreased pH may be associated with

4.0 to 10.0

Dedicated pH testing paper with a range of ___also can be used

0.1

pH results should be recorded to the nearest ___ pH unit.

20 to 250 million sperm per milliliter, 10 and 20 million per milliliter

Reference values for sperm concentration are commonly listed as___, concentrations between ___ are considered borderline

Neubauer counting chamber

In the clinical laboratory, sperm concentration is usually performed using the

1:20, a mechanical (positive-displacement) pipette

The dilution used most commonly is ___, prepared by using ___

immobilizes the sperm

Dilution of the semen is essential because it

Sodium bicarbonate and formalin

The traditional diluting fluid contains

four corner and center squares of the large center square

Using the Neubauer hemocytometer, sperm usually are counted in the

phase or bright-field microscopy.

Counts are performed using either qhat microscope

crystal violet

The addition of a stain, such as ___, to the diluting fluid aids in visualization when using bright-field microscopy

Round cells

Immature sperm and WBCs, often referred to as

inflammation or infection of the reproductive organs that can lead to infertility

A round cell count greater than 1 million leukocytes per milliliter is associated with

disruption of spermatogenesis

The presence of more than 1 million spermatids per milliliter indicates

1 million spermatids

The presence of more than___ per milliliter indicates disruption of spermatogenesis

dilution used and the size and number of squares counted

Calculation of sperm concentration depends on the

20 high-power fields

the percentage of sperm showing actual forward movement can be estimated after evaluating approximately (fields)

speed and direction

Motility is evaluated by both

4 or a

Motile with rapid, straight-line motility

3 or b

Motile with slower speed, some lateral movement

2 or b

Motile with slow forward progression, noticeable lateral movement

1 or c

Motile without forward progressio

0 or d

No movement

Progressive motility (PM)

Sperm moving linearly or in a large circle

Nonprogressive motility (NP)

Sperm moving with an absence of progression

Immotility (IM)

No movement

computer-assisted semen analysis

provides objective determination of both sperm velocity and trajectory

Sperm Class Analyzer

consists of a microscope equipped with a digital camera, motorized heating stage, and image analysis software with an analytical filter that eliminates other bodies that could cause inconsistent analysis, such as cell debris, isolated sperm heads, or flagella.

Automated Sperm Quality Analyzers

measures sperm concentration, percent motility, percent normal morphology, concentration of motile and functional sperm, concentration of progressively motile sperm, velocity, and sperm motility index using electro-optics combined with spectrophotometry and computer algorithms

head

Abnormalities in __ morphology are associated with poor ovum penetration

Motility

abnormalities in the neckpiece, midpiece, and tail affect

oval-shaped, 5 µm, 3 µm, 45 µm

The normal sperm has an ___head approximately ___ long and ___ wide with a long, flagellar tail approximately ___ long

acrosomal cap

Critical to ovum penetration is the

Midpiece

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.

Thinly smeared, oil immersion

Sperm morphology is evaluated from a___ stained slide under ___

10 µL

Smears are made by placing approximately ___of semen

Wright's, Giemsa, Shorr, or Papanicolaou stain

Staining can be performed using

head, neck, and tail size; measuring acrosome size; and evaluating for the presence of vacuoles; Kruger's strict criteria

Additional parameters in evaluating sperm morphology include measuring ___. Inclusion of these parameters is referred to as

Peroxidase-positive granulocytes

are the predominant form of leukocyte in semen

Peroxidase stain

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

sperm vitality, seminal fluid fructose level, sperm agglutinins, and microbial infection.

The most common additional tests are