Semen extenders to salvage ejaculate in a retrograde ejaculate environment: A potential use in spinal cord-injured men

Infertility is a well-recognized complication in spinal cord-injured men. Vibratory stimulation and electroejaculation are being used to overcome the inability to ejaculate, but poor sperm quality remains a significant problem. Retrograde ejaculation is known to occur with both sperm retrieval techniques, and may contribute to the poor semen quality. In addition, the amount of retrograde ejaculate produced is generally of sufficient quantity worthy of salvaging. We investigated the effectiveness of various semen media in maintaining the viability of healthy sperm placed in a retrograde ejaculate environment. Six semen extenders, media used to process spermatozoa for artificial insemination and to maintain viability during cryopreservation, were studied. We found that Ham's F-10 with 3.5gm% bovine serum albumin seems to be an effective medium to maintain sperm viability over a wide range of urine concentrations (up to 60% to 80% urine), and potentially, may be useful by its infusion into the bladder before vibratory or electrostimulation to enhance the recovery of greater numbers of viable sperm from the retrograde environment.