Clarity About Your Fertility: Investigations for Men
Fertility concerns always involve both partners — not only the woman. A semen analysis is the most important basic examination for assessing male fertility and identifying possible causes of infertility.
Fertility Assessments for him
In some cases, a male factor contributes to infertility, for example reduced semen quality. Based on the results, we discuss together whether further investigations may be useful.
Semen Analysis – The Most Important Examination for Assessing Your Fertility
In most cases, we begin with a semen analysis. During this examination, semen quality is assessed according to the current WHO criteria, providing a reliable overview of your fertility status. The costs of this basic examination are generally covered by health insurance.
The analysis includes, among other things:
- ejaculate volume
- pH value of the semen fluid
- total sperm count
- sperm concentration per millilitre
- sperm motility (movement)
- sperm morphology (shape and appearance under the microscope)
- sperm vitality (percentage of living sperm cells)
- presence of round cells and white blood cells (possible indication of inflammation)
- detection of problematic antisperm antibodies
- long-term motility — how long the sperm remain active
Would you like to have your fertility assessed?
When Further Clarity Is Helpful: HALO Test (DNA Fragmentation)
In certain situations, it may be beneficial to additionally assess the DNA integrity of the sperm. For this purpose, we use the so-called HALO test. This test determines the proportion of sperm showing DNA fragmentation.
This test may be useful, for example, in cases of:
- long-standing infertility
- recurrent miscarriages
- a history of intensive medical treatments
- unsuccessful IVF/ICSI treatments
The HALO test is an additional self-pay service (approximately CHF 200). Whether this more detailed assessment is appropriate in your individual case will be discussed with you personally.