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Reproductive System > What Makes A Normal Sperm > Flashcards

What Makes A Normal Sperm Flashcards

1
Q

what 3 components are human sperm made up of

A
  • head
  • midpiece
  • tail
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2
Q

describe the head of the sperm with detail

A
  • contains nucleus (genetic material)
  • contains centrioles (inherited to zygote post-fertilisation)
  • contains acrosome (contains enzymes to penetrate cumulus cells and zona pellucida)
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3
Q

describe the midpiece of the sperm with detail

A

contains sperm-specific mitochondria - produce energy for movement via oxidative phosphorylation

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4
Q

describe tail aka flagellum of sperm with detail

A
  • contains axoneme - core structure
  • axoneme functions as motors for motility through its 9+2 structure
  • tail can generate energy thru glycolysis (breakdown glucose for energy)
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5
Q

what sperm characteristics are measured during a standard semen analysis

A
  • sperm numbers (count / concentration)
  • sperm motility (progressive, non-progressive, immotile)
  • sperm morphology (head, mid-piece, tail)
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6
Q

what is the most widely used assessment of male fertility

A

semen analysis

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7
Q

what does sperm numbers reflect

A
  • numbers of sperm produced by testes
  • storage ability of sperm in post-testicular duct system (transport sperm from the testes to the outside of the body)
  • efficacy of smooth muscle contractions in epididymis to actively transport sperm into ejaculate
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8
Q

count vs conc of sperm numbers

A
  • count: total amount of sperm present in the ejaculate
  • concentration: total numbers of sperm in 1ml of the ejaculate
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9
Q

3 key factors that influence sperm numbers

A
  • size of testicles
  • endocrine status
  • medications, supplements, non-prescribe medications
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10
Q

describe relevance of sperm motility to fertility

A
  • the amount of sperm moving forward is directly related to pregnancy rates
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11
Q

explain sperm motility assessment

A

proportion of sperm that have
- progressive motility (straight forward movement)
in total against
- non-progressive motility (tails moving but going nowhere or in circles)
- immotile (no tail movement)

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12
Q

if a sperm is immotile does it necessarily mean they are dead

A

no

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13
Q

what is how sperm look (sperm morphology) a predictor of

A
  • fertilisation potential
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14
Q

what component/s of sperm is morphology evaluated on

A
  • every component: head, mid-piece, tail
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15
Q

how many components have to have correct morphological appearance to be classified as normal sperm

A
  • all components (head, mid-piece, tail)
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16
Q

what are 2 common things associated w poor sperm morphology

A
  • defective spermatogenesis
  • some epididymal pathologies
17
Q

what are 3 things that poor sperm morphology are associated with an increase in

A

increased:
- sperm DNA fragmentation (presence of breaks or damage to DNA strands within sperm)
- chromosomal alterations
- aneuploidy (incorrect DNA copy number)

18
Q

what is another category of interest that can be considered for sperm morphology & when is it an anomaly

A
  • excess residual cytoplasm
  • anomaly if more than 1/3 of normal sperm head size
19
Q

describe ideal typical normal appearance of sperm head

A
  • smooth
  • oval in shape
  • well-defined acrosomal region - 40-70% of head area
  • not too large
  • length-to-width ratio so not too round or elongated
  • acrosome should contain no large vacuoles, only two or less 2 small vacuoles in head
  • max 2 small vacuoles should not occupy more than 1/5th of sperm head
  • post acrosomal region should not contain vacuoles
20
Q

describe ideal typical normal appearance of sperm tail / flagellum

A
  • uniform diameter along its length
  • be thinner than midpiece
  • about 10x head length
  • may be looped back on itself as long as there no sharp angulation - indicate broken flagellum
  • not bent
  • no terminal droplet (residual cytoplasm)
21
Q

describe ideal typical normal appearance of sperm mid-piece

A
  • slender, regular
  • about same length as sperm head
  • should come out in centre of sperm head - alignment
  • not too thick or too thin
  • not sharply bent
  • no asymmetrical insertion into head
  • no angled insertion into head
  • not non-inserted (can see top of mid-piece)
22
Q

are the parameters (sperm count, sperm motility, sperm morphology) a direct measure of male fertility potential

A

no

23
Q

what % of all infertility diagnoses are idiopathic (unknown cause)

A

15%

24
Q

can men with infertility return a normal semen analysis

A

yes

Reproductive System (21 decks)

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