At Home Sperm Testing

Am I fertile? Is there a problem with my sperm? How can I check? Here is a simple approach.

Men are taking an increasing role in evaluating whether they have a fertility problem. This has become much easier with the availability and ease of several at home and mail-in sperm testing kits.

If you have a risk factor, including—but not limited to—a prior undescended testicle, cancer, diabetes, or lupus, or are taking medications for any reason, you could be at risk for fertility issues. In addition, if you have attempted unprotected intercourse without success, for a period of 4 to 6 months, it may be valuable to do an initial screening to see if there is a problem.

It can be difficult for many people to get up the nerve to do a sperm test and take it to a lab to be checked. Embarrassment or shame can be common feelings. But getting this information evaluated early can be important to identifying a problem. Now, there are several reliable at home and mail-in sperm testing kits that can be used.

The YO sperm kits measure sperm concentration and motility [the number of “viable swimmers”], which are good ways to screen if there is an underlying fertility problem. These kits can be purchased online and done in the privacy of your home. Another at-home test is called SpermCheck, which can also be purchased online or at your local drugstore. However, this kit only measures sperm count. It does not evaluate motility, which is the movement of sperm. Neither of these tests is perfect as they don’t measure ejaculate volume, sperm shape, or morphology – all important in gauging fertility.

There are also mail-in tests that can be purchased online. These can measure multiple parameters of sperm quality, including volume, count, motility, and morphology [sperm shape]. This is a great option if you are not comfortable taking a specimen to the lab or running a home test by yourself. The two companies that do mail-ins are “Legacy” and “Fellow” and both provide a comprehensive information packet that explains the result details.

So if you’re concerned about your fertility or your partner’s fertility, remember, at-home or mail-in kits can be a simple way to screen for any underlying sperm problem. If there is a sperm problem, the next step would be to see a reproductive urologist for further evaluation. They can determine whether the issue is treatable and/or reversible. At Yale Urology we have several specialists with years of experience and fellowship training, specific to the area of reproductive medicine.