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Antega South Africa · Learning Videos

Preparing and decontaminating a semen sample in the IVF laboratory

A short laboratory demonstration of specialist sperm processing, as used for therapeutic sperm preparation and viral decontamination.

University of Pretoria — Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Steve Biko Academic HospitalMale FertilityIVF TreatmentAll learning videos

This is a laboratory teaching clip rather than a patient film. It shows the specialist sperm-washing step used before IUI, IVF or ICSI, and in viral decontamination for couples where one partner is living with a blood-borne infection.

Recorded for training purposes at an academic laboratory. Your clinic will explain which preparation method applies to your own treatment.

Key takeaways

  • Semen samples are prepared in the laboratory before insemination, IVF or ICSI.
  • Sperm washing separates motile sperm from seminal fluid and other cells.
  • Specialist decontamination methods are used where an infection risk needs to be reduced.
  • Ask your clinic which laboratory preparation is planned for your treatment.

Related Antega guides

Use these guides for general background, and check the South Africa organisations named on this page for local detail.

Continue learning

Fertility Show Africa Expert Talks (programme curated with IFAASA and SASREG)

Infertility, culture and stigma in South Africa

Filmmaker Molatelo Mainetje-Bossman speaks about the social and cultural side of infertility in African communities, including silence, stigma and family expectations.

Read the guide

References

  • University of Pretoria — Reproductive Biology Laboratory — https://www.up.ac.za/obstetrics-and-gynaecology/reproductive-biology-laboratory

This video was produced by University of Pretoria — Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and is shared for education only. It is not medical advice and does not replace guidance from your own doctor or fertility clinic. Naming an organisation does not imply a partnership with Antega.