Investigations on semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures in laboratories with different management modes.

PURPOSE: To perform a survey on the semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures of medical institutions conducting male infertility-related testing in Jiangsu, China, by the WeChat, aiming to explore the possibility of mutual recognition of testing results among different laboratories.

METHODS

This study designed a survey questionnaire consisting of 105 questions and investigated and compared semen analysis capabilities and quality control measures between regulated laboratories for assisted reproductive technology (RLART) and non-regulated laboratories for assisted reproductive technology (non-RLART) in Jiangsu, China.

RESULTS

RLART had higher percentages of technicians received training on the WHO manual (97.14% [34/35] vs. 57.14% [28/49], P < 0.01), dedicated rooms for semen collection (100% [35/35] vs. 24.49% [12/49], P < 0.01), adherence to the staining methods recommended by the WHO manual (100% [32/32] vs. 33.33% [11/33], P < 0.01), internal quality control for sperm concentration (77.14% [27/35] vs. 6.12% [3/49], P < 0.01), and participation in external quality assessment (74.29% [26/35] vs. 14.29% [7/49], P < 0.01) compared to non-PLART.

CONCLUSIONS

Establishing unified recognition criteria for semen analysis laboratories and conducting regular supervision can improve semen analysis capabilities and promote mutual recognition of semen testing results.