The semen analysis has been the standard evaluation for male fertility since the 1930s. Technology has advanced a lot since then. Isn’t it time for a modern semen evaluation? Stay tuned and I’ll tell you about a new, high tech evaluation for men on today’s Episode of Infertility TV If you ask fertility specialists about the semen analysis, they will say it is a valuable test but it has a big limitation: it does not tell you about the function of sperm. What we have needed for a long time is a sperm test that tells you the ability of sperm to fertilize an egg. Well, now we have one – it is called the Cap-Score Sperm Function Test. Here are the basics. During sex, a man ejaculates and releases sperm into the vagina. At that moment, those sperm are not yet able to fertilize an egg. In order to develop that ability, the sperm needs to undergo several changes. This is known as capacitation.
Capacitation results in the ability of various molecules in the head of the sperm to move around. By looking at the pattern of one of those molecules, Gm1, we can now determine whether a sperm has undergone capacitation or not. With this test, we can now determine what percentage of the sperm has undergone capacitation. This is known as the Cap-Score. Most men with normal fertility have high Cap-Scores. Most guys with fertility problems have low Cap-Scores. More importantly, the results of a semen analysis won’t predict your Cap-Score.
You can have large numbers of sperm that are great swimmers and a normal shape but be unable to fertilize eggs So this is an important new test for men to have when they get their semen analysis. In fact, couples who have been told that they have unexplained infertility may actually have an explanation. A recent study found the Cap-Score™ was abnormal in nearly two thirds of men who were worried about their fertility but who had an otherwise normal semen analysis The Cap Score is also a pretty good test for predicting the outcome of some fertility treatments. Another study, that I was a part of, looked at couples who were undergoing fertility treatment by using fertility medications combined with intrauterine insemination – when sperm is placed directly into the uterus. We looked at the probability that couples would become pregnant within 3 attempts. We found that couples who had a low Cap Score had a lower probability for conceiving in those 3 tries than couples with a higher Cap Score. In fact, , computer modeling showed that the higher the Cap Score, the higher the probability for pregnancy.
As a result, many fertility experts now use the Cap Score as an important tool to counsel patients when they might want to skip inseminations and go directly to IVF. The Cap Score is easy for men to do. They simply collect a semen specimen the same way they would for a semen analysis. In fact, it can be done using the same specimen that is collected for a semen analysis. Even better, the Cap Score can be collected at home using a convenient mail in kit. Our InfertilityTV Bottom line: In the year 2020, no evaluation of an infertile couple is complete unless the male partner has a semen analysis and a Cap Score. If you liked this video, remember to Like this video. If you have an idea for a future episode of infertilityTV, leave it in the comments. Subscribe now. InfertilityTV publishes a new episode every week. Its like having a fertility specialist in your phone.
Source: Infertility TV
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