UWC research project calls for sperm donations in bid to better understand male fertility

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has embarked on a quest to increase understanding of male fertility.  

And to do so, its Comparative Spermatology Laboratory is asking healthy young men to donate sperm specimens.

The research project is focused on understanding how lifestyle, genetics and environmental factors impact sperm health.  

Head of the study, Associate Professor Liana Maree, said that donors will need to complete a questionnaire about their lifestyles to help in the research. 

"Now in the case of a male partner, a basic semen analysis will be performed to measure standard things like how many sperm are in the sample, are most of them swimming. Often this evaluation is enough then to indicate if the male has a problem with sperm production but in 15 to 30 percent of cases, the semen parameters are normal but still the man cannot conceive."