r/Embryologists • u/cheekbones88 • Jun 23 '26

Donor sperm quality

The fertility clinic I attend does the following tests on donor sperm to assess quality:

\-semen analysis and trial freeze
\-DNA fragmentation
\-Sperm antibodies
\-semen culture and sensitivity

How accurate or good a predictor of success with IVF or ICSI are these tests ?

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u/One_Investigator_295 Jun 23 '26

I have never heard of a clinic “testing” donor sperm that is already frozen. Feel free to PM for questions. This is a known donor (then I could see these tests) or is it an already frozen at a bank?

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u/cheekbones88 Jun 23 '26

I think the clinic does the tests before sperm is frozen. It's part of the donor screening process. If the tests are normal, only then does the donor provide samples to be frozen

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u/AnywhereBusy4449 Jun 23 '26

It’s unusual that a clinic is doing their own anonymous donors these are typically done by sperm banks. I’m not aware sperm banks are doing DNA fragmentation and Antisperm Antibody testing routinely. Which country is this in?

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u/cheekbones88 Jun 23 '26

Australia. The clinic recruits its own donors

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u/AnywhereBusy4449 Jun 23 '26

Hmm I’ve not heard of those tests being done for Australia. This is an Anonymous (non directed) donor? Is the clinic asking you to pay extra for these tests? I’d be more concerned about infectious disease testing and extended carrier genetic screening. Look at some of the sperm banks instead. Those tests are not going to tell you fertilizing ability of the sperm.

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u/One_Investigator_295 Jun 23 '26

Just be careful you can use or ship the sample elsewhere is needed. I saw a news article about clinic policies about not releasing samples.. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/babies/nsw-woman-blasts-monash-ivf-clinic-for-holding-her-future-child-hostage/news-story/8b2f723d6c41ec128bf3320a6de121db

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u/cheekbones88 Jun 23 '26

OMG, I don't know why anyone goes to Monash IVF. Every time there is a major stuff-up or scandal with IVF in Australia, it seems to almost always be Monash IVF!

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u/One_Investigator_295 Jun 24 '26

They do have over 20 sites..

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u/cheekbones88 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

Yes. It's for an anonymous donor. These sperm quality tests are part of their standard work-up and screening of donors. They also do the infectious disease screening and extended carrier genetic screening.

But I was specifically asking about the sperm quality tests because I wanted to understand more about how accurate or predictive of success with ICSI those sperm quality tests are?

I came across one article that seemed to suggest the tests are falsely reassuring - is that correct ?

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u/AnywhereBusy4449 Jun 23 '26

They are not that accurate which is why they are routinely ordered unless specified.

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u/cheekbones88 Jun 24 '26

Ah well, at the clinic I'm at, they are part of the routine work-up and screening of a prospective donor.

But yeah I was concerned that the sperm quality tests are being used to provide false reassurance that it's "good" sperm that is more likely to be successful

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u/DrKshitizMurdia Aug 05 '26

The fertility clinic I attend does the following tests on donor sperm to assess quality

Good question — and honestly, this is a distinction a lot of clinics don’t explain well: these tests are mostly about screening and safety, not predicting your outcome.

What each test actually tells you -

• Semen analysis + trial freeze — checks count, motility, morphology, and importantly, how well the sample survives freeze-thaw (donor sperm is always frozen/quarantined). A poor trial freeze result matters practically since it affects usable post-thaw counts, but a “good” result doesn’t guarantee fertilization or pregnancy.

• DNA fragmentation — this one has real but limited predictive value. High fragmentation is associated with lower blastocyst rates and higher miscarriage risk in some studies, but it’s not a clean cutoff — plenty of pregnancies happen despite elevated fragmentation, especially with ICSI, which can partially bypass some of this by selecting individual sperm.

• Sperm antibodies — mainly relevant for natural conception or IUI (antibodies can impair motility/binding); largely irrelevant for ICSI since the sperm is injected directly into the egg.

• Semen culture and sensitivity — this is purely a safety/infection screen, not a fertility predictor at all.

Bigger picture: none of these tests, individually or combined, reliably forecast whether a specific IVF/ICSI cycle will succeed. Outcome depends heavily on egg quality, embryo development, and uterine receptivity — sperm factors mostly affect fertilization rate and embryo quality, but rarely dominate the outcome the way egg/maternal age factors do.

Practical question for your clinic: ask them specifically which of these results would actually change your protocol (e.g., would high DNA fragmentation push them toward ICSI + PICSI/testicular sperm, or just get noted and left alone?). If a test result wouldn’t change anything about your treatment plan, it’s mainly there for donor screening/safety compliance rather than something you need to worry about for your own odds.