Open AccessStandardized Laboratory Procedures, Quality Control and Quality Assurance Are Key Requirements for Accurate Semen Analysis in the Evaluation of Infertile Male
Author(s) -
Ashok Agarwal,
Rakesh Sharma,
Sajal Gupta,
Renata Finelli,
Neel Parekh,
Manesh Kumar Panner Selvam,
Camila Pompeu,
Sarah Madani,
Andrea Belo,
Mahsa Darbandi,
Neha Singh,
Sara Darbandi,
Simryn Covarrubias,
Raha Sadeghi,
Mohamed Arafa,
Ahmad Majzoub,
Meaghanne Caraballo,
Alyssa Giroski,
Kourtney McNulty,
Damayanthi Durairajanayagam,
Ralf Henkel
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
the world journal of men's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.711
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2287-4690
pISSN - 2287-4208
DOI - 10.5534/wjmh.210022
Subject(s) - quality assurance , semen analysis , semen , computer science , medical physics , reliability engineering , medicine , infertility , engineering , biology , andrology , pathology , external quality assessment , pregnancy , genetics
Semen analysis is a basic test for evaluating male fertility potential, as it plays an essential role in driving the future management and treatment of infertility in couples. Manual semen analysis includes the evaluation of both macroscopic and microscopic parameters, whereas automated semen analysis is conducted through a computer-aided sperm analysis system and can include additional parameters that are not evaluated by manual analysis. Both quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) are important to ensure reproducible results for semen analysis, and represent fundamental checks and balances of all stages (pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical) of semen analysis. To ensure accuracy and precision, the laboratory technicians' performance should be evaluated biannually. This narrative review aims to describe standardized laboratory procedures for an accurate assessment of semen parameters that incorporate both QC and QA practices.