Specimen Required

Container/Tube:
Preferred: Warm, clean, glass or plastic container.
Specimen Volume: Entire ejaculate.

Conditions for Patient Preparation:

• If test is used for fertility testing the specimen should be collected after a three-day period of sexual abstinence (abstinence from ejaculation.)
• If test is used for post-vasectomy follow-up, random collection is acceptable

Storage requirements: specimen must be kept at body temperature, transported to the laboratory immediately upon collection and tested within 1 hour of collection; specimen can be carried in an inside pocket while transporting to maintain body temperature.

Collection Instructions:

1. Wash your hands and genital area with soap.
2. Rinse thoroughly so all soap is rinsed away. Soap will kill sperm.
3. Open container.
4. Masturbate to ejaculation. Other methods of collection may compromise your specimen and you may be required to provide another one.
   • Do not use lubricants as many lubricants can kill sperm.
   • Do not collect semen specimen in a condom
   • Avoid vaginal and oral secretions, which will contaminate your specimen.
5. Deposit all your semen into sterile container. Do not touch inside of container.
6. Tightly secure cap into container.
7. Keep container upright.
8. Protect the specimen from temperature extremes:
   • Keep specimen away from direct sunlight.
   • Maintain specimen as close to body temperature as possible.
   • Do not heat the specimen above body temperature, as this will kill the sperm.
   • Do not allow the specimen to drop below 70 degrees,  cold temperature will adversely affect sperm.
9. Label container with patient’s name (first and last),& date and time of collection. Do not label lid.
10. Deliver specimen, immediately after collection and between 8:00 AM- 3:00 PM, to Norman Regional Health System Laboratory-Porter Campus where testing is performed.

Criteria for unacceptable specimen:

a. Collection into a condom (contains spermicidal agents)

b. If time from collection to receipt in lab is greater than 1 hour, testing will be performed and a footnote is added to the report stating such.

Physical Characteristics of specimen that may compromise test results:

a. Collected more than 1 hour before delivery to lab.

b. Collection by coitus interruptus may limit collection of entire specimen

c. Specimen exposure to cold temperatures

d. Prolonged abstinence prior to semen collection is to be discouraged, since the quality of the semen, in regard to progressive motility, will actually diminish.