The test is performed to check whether the patient is suffering from retrograde ejaculation. Retrograde ejaculation is a phenomenon whereby semen passes

into the bladder at ejaculation, resulting in aspermia, or no apparent ejaculate.

Instructions for the patient

At the clinic on the day of the test the patient should be asked to:

• urinate without completely emptying the bladder

• produce an ejaculate by masturbation into a specimen container

• urinate again into a second specimen vessel containing culture medium (to alkalinize the urine further)

Both the ejaculate, if any, and urine samples will be centrifuged in order to precipitate all cells present in them, which facilitates the process of looking for spermatozoa. If spermatozoa are found in the urine sample, the patient is diagnosed with retrograde ejaculation.