UVa researchers confirm reliability of SpermCheck kit

University of Virginia researchers have confirmed the accuracy and reliability of SpermCheck Vasectomy, the first FDA-approved at-home test for detecting low concentrations of sperm.

The newly reported research consisted of a clinical trial and consumer study.

In the clinical trial, researchers used SpermCheck to evaluate 144 post-vasectomy semen samples. The test achieved an accuracy rate of 96 percent in identifying whether sperm counts were greater or less than a threshold of 250,000 sperm per ml — a level associated with little or no risk of pregnancy.

SpermCheck proved to be 100 percent accurate in identifying whether sperm counts were greater or less than 384,000 sperm per ml.

According to the World Health Organization Manual on Semen Analysis, normal sperm counts range from 20 million per ml to as high as 200 million per ml.

When the count is below 1 million per ml, there is only a remote chance of achieving pregnancy without assisted reproductive techniques such as intra-uterine insemination, in-vitro fertilization and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection.

Traditionally, the process has involved bringing semen samples to a physician’s office or laboratory at two- and three-month intervals after the procedure. Monitoring is important because vasectomies are not 100 percent successful, and men who have had them can experience recanalization, or the spontaneous healing or restoration of the vas deferens, which restores their fertility.

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, some 500,000 men undergo vasectomies in the United States each year, making it the third most popular contraceptive option among the nation’s married couples.