A deeper assessment of
your sperm health.
tested as part of a typical semen analysis. And all too often, it’s not tested at all
until couples have gone through expensive fertility treatments that didn’t work.
Upwards of 15% of infertile men
have
normal semen analysis results. A more thorough evaluation of sperm health is
essential.
Sperm’s only
job: to deliver healthy
DNA to the egg.
But unfortunately, that DNA is fragile. Age, illness, and lifestyle can cause damage to your sperm’s genetic material. That damage is known as “DNA fragmentation.”
A high DNA fragmentation index (DFI) — the percentage of your sperm containing damaged DNA — is associated with:
Lower fertility
Higher chance of miscarriage
Higher chance of failed
assisted
reproduction
Pregnancy rates
Miscarriage rates
Fertilization rates for IVF patients
Who should test their sperm DNA fragmentation?
| Couples with a history of miscarriages | Couples with unexplained infertility for more than 6 months | Couples with poor embryo quality during IVF treatment | Men over 40 | Men who wear tight-fitting clothing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men with a history of cancer | Men under treatment with prescription medications | Men with lifestyle habits that may affect sperm health, such as smoking | Men diagnosed with male-factor infertility of an unknown cause | Men who want a more thorough understanding of their sperm health |
Semen analysis + sperm DNA fragmentation test = a truly comprehensive understanding of your sperm health.
A conventional semen analysis gives you the basics: your sperm count, concentration, motility (movement), and morphology (shape).
Pairing this info with your DFI provides the best picture of your fertility, how to improve your chances of conception, and how to choose the right fertility treatment for you and your family goals.
Sperm DNA fragmentation analysis is included as part of our Forever package. You can also purchase it as a standalone addition to your Standard Semen Analysis semen analysis.
How it works
Legacy’s labs use sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD), a well-established technique for identifying sperm DNA damage.
During this test, sperm are carefully denatured and proteins are removed. Normal spermatozoa can then be identified by their glowing “halos,” formed by loops of DNA at the head of the sperm. These halos will not be present in sperm with highly damaged DNA. This allows lab experts to visualize and quantify the percentage—or index—of sperm that contain DNA damage.
At-home sperm DNA fragmentation analysis
A typical sperm DNA fragmentation analysis costs $500 or more, and requires a trip to a lab to produce a fresh semen sample. Just as with our semen analysis, Legacy offers the option to collect your sample at home, mail it in, and get a clinic-grade DNA fragmentation report, for a fraction of the cost.