Sperm quality in fish: Determinants and affecting factors

Limits of current male fertility testing.

Home testing for male factor infertility: a review of current options

Current semen analysis still commonly depends on a manual microscopy method in clinical laboratories worldwide. However, some of the major disadvantages of this technique are that it is labour-intensive, subjective, laboratory-based and time-consuming. Although computer-assisted semen analysers (CASAs) have enabled partial automation of routine semen analysis, they lack wider acceptance due to their complicated operation. Therefore, the development of an accessible, rapid and standardised method for semen analysis is urgently needed. Here, we describe the development and clinical testing of a novel, automated, artificial intelligence optical microscopic (AIOM)-based technology, LensHooke™ X1 PRO (X1 PRO), designed for the quantitative measurement of sperm concentration, motility and seminal pH. We observed high degree of correlation in the results of concentration, progressive motility and progressively motile sperm concentration between the X1 PRO semen analyser and manual method using 135 clinical semen samples. In addition, the seminal pH results obtained by X1 PRO and manual methods were comparable (p = .12). In summary, our results showed that new X1 PRO semen analyser is a reliable diagnostic tool for routine semen analysis providing clinically acceptable results based on World Health Organization (WHO) 5th Edition guidelines.

Automation of human semen analysis using a novel artificial intelligence optical microscopic technology.

Infertility is a universal problem with the highest prevalence in low-resource countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where infection-related tubal damage is the commonest cause. It is estimated that more than 180 million couples in developing countries suffer from primary or secondary infertility. In most African countries, the social stigma of childlessness still leads to isolation and abandonment. Differences between the developed and developing world are emerging because of the different availability in infertility care and the different socio-cultural value surrounding procreation and childlessness.

Although reproductive health education and prevention of infertility are number one priorities, the need for accessible diagnostic procedures and affordable assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is very high. The success and sustainability of ART in resource-poor settings will depend, to a large extend, on our ability to optimise these techniques in terms of availability, affordability and effectiveness.

Different new innovations and techniques can make the diagnostic work-up and treatment through assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including in-vitro fertilization (IVF), more affordable. These include automated smartphone-based assays for semen analysis and simplified IVF culture systems. The initiative of African Network and Registry for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ANARA) to register all IVF cycles in Africa needs our support and will be of paramount importance in the future.

The hurdles to implement ART in most African countries are numerous and although more and more IVF centres are founded, the accessibility to ART remains very low.

Aditi Sharma

Papers

Home sperm testing device versus laboratory sperm quality analyzer: comparison of motile sperm concentration