Help with sperm test info

[Carls679]

Hiya, we're starting IVF soon and my husband has a sperm test on Monday. Can anyone tell me what this means? I think I'm just being dumb but to me it means we have to have sex or he needs to sort himself out 3 days before but no sooner - or does it just mean you're not allowed to do anything 3 or more days before?

"An abstinence period of no less than 2 and no more than 3 days is required"

It simply means that they don't want him to ejaculate in the two to three days before the test so that they can test for sperm density (how many per volume of fluid), motility, healthiness, likelihood of successfully fertilising an egg etc.

If he had sex a few hours before the test (say), there wouldn't be enough of a sample to conduct meaningful tests and all of the sperm present would be "new" and not reflective of the real world; and if he hadn't had sex for (say) five days before the test, the sperm would be a mix of old (dying) and new and wouldn't be representative of the "best" situation. By measuring the sperm during the optimal period, you'll both get a realistic indication of how successful IVF might be. At least that's my understanding.

Sorry, I meant to add "Good luck and I hope all goes well for you both".

And I realise I may not have fully answered your question. As an example, if his test was at 9am Monday morning, you would need to have sex or he would need to masturbate and ejaculate to "clear the pipes" around 8am Friday morning and then not again until after his test. That way, all of the old sperm will have been cleared out and only sperm up to three days old would remain when he was tested.

Thank you so so much for the explanation weathervane1 😊 really appreciated x

No probs. I've been there. Let me know how it goes if you want to. - fingers crossed for both of you x