Mate Health combines validated temperature-controlled transport, expanded semen analysis, and advanced sperm DNA and vitality testing, all from home collection.
Sample conditions during transport directly affect what the laboratory measures. Mate Health preserves sample integrity before analysis so results reflect controlled transport conditions at laboratory receipt.
Some mail-in semen tests apply software algorithms to estimate what semen parameters may have been at the time of collection, adjusting for changes that occur during transport. Mate Health takes a different approach. By preserving the specimen under controlled temperature throughout transit, the laboratory measures the sample directly rather than estimating its original condition. Results reflect what the laboratory received, not a calculated approximation of what was collected.
Validated across 222 semen samples, demonstrating strong correlation (R² of 0.90–0.98 across the semen parameters evaluated) between fresh baseline results and results after up to 34 hours of cooled transport.
Sperm are sensitive to temperature fluctuation. Mate Health's Active Cooling design and a proprietary semen preservative formulated for low-temperature transport maintain sample temperature below 15°C from collection through laboratory receipt, minimizing degradation of motility and morphology during transit.
Extreme Ambient Validation
Furnace Creek, Death Valley — August 2024.
Temperature Stability
Temperature sensor data recorded from collection through laboratory receipt, demonstrating sustained Active Cooling across a 34-hour transit window in standard ambient conditions.
On receipt, specimens are brought to 37°C prior to analysis in accordance with WHO 6th Edition methodology.
A total motility figure combines moving sperm into a single percentage. Mate Health reports a more detailed movement profile across rapidly progressive, slowly progressive, non-progressive, and immotile sperm. Progressive motility is also reported as the combined forward-moving category, calculated from rapidly progressive and slowly progressive sperm. This gives patients and clinicians more context than total motility alone.
Progressive motility reflects sperm moving forward in a directional pattern. It is reported as a combined category made up of rapidly progressive and slowly progressive sperm, not as a separate peer classification from those two subtypes.
Sperm moving forward in a fast, directional pattern. This category helps describe the portion of sperm with faster forward movement.
Sperm moving forward in a slower directional pattern. These sperm contribute to progressive motility but move more slowly than rapidly progressive sperm.
Sperm that are moving but without meaningful forward displacement. Movement is present, but forward travel is limited.
Sperm showing no movement. Immotile sperm are reported as part of the complete motility profile and help distinguish moving sperm from those with no observed movement.
Better physician conversations.
Motility classification results can help identify patterns in sperm movement that a total motility figure may not capture. Discussing these results with a physician can help clarify what the findings may mean for your fertility evaluation.
Mate Health’s Comprehensive Semen Analysis evaluates sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and additional parameters. These measures describe sperm quantity, quality, and movement. DNA fragmentation testing evaluates the integrity of the genetic material sperm carry, a dimension of sperm quality that the Comprehensive Semen Analysis does not assess. DNA fragmentation testing and vitality assessment are included in Mate Health’s Advanced Semen Analysis.
Sperm carry the paternal genetic contribution to fertilization. DNA fragmentation refers to breaks or damage within the DNA strands contained in sperm cells. The DNA Fragmentation Index, or DFI, measures the proportion of sperm in a sample with detectable DNA strand damage. A higher DFI indicates a greater proportion of sperm with altered DNA integrity.
MEN WITH UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY AND
NORMAL ROUTINE SEMEN PARAMETERS
Up to 20% of men with unexplained infertility and normal routine semen parameters may have elevated DNA fragmentation. Standard parameters alone may not identify this finding.
Research has associated elevated DNA fragmentation with conception difficulties, early pregnancy loss, and lower success rates in certain assisted reproductive settings. DNA fragmentation testing does not diagnose infertility by itself, but it may provide additional context for couples and physicians when evaluating unexplained infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, or assisted reproduction planning.
Mate Health's Advanced semen analysis includes DNA fragmentation testing and vitality assessment. DNA fragmentation is measured using Sperm Chromatin Dispersion, or SCD, an established laboratory method for assessing DNA strand integrity in sperm. Results are reported as a DNA Fragmentation Index with interpretive context for physician review, helping explain what the finding may mean for fertility evaluation.
Better next steps.
A Comprehensive semen analysis result that falls within normal reference ranges does not rule out elevated DNA fragmentation. For couples navigating unexplained fertility challenges or recurrent pregnancy loss, DNA fragmentation testing may provide an additional data point worth discussing with a physician.
The World Health Organization publishes methodology guidelines and reference ranges for human semen analysis. The most recent edition, WHO 6th Edition (2021), updated reference values, standardized laboratory procedures, and motility reporting. Mate Health's semen analysis methodology and reporting are aligned with WHO 6th Edition standards.
Reference values vary across WHO editions, and a result interpreted under one edition may be reviewed differently under another. When laboratories and physicians work from the same current framework, findings can be discussed within a shared set of reference standards. Mate Health's laboratory methodology, parameter reporting, and reference ranges reflect the WHO 6th Edition (2021) reference framework, so results are reported against current reference values for physician review.
Updated reference ranges, motility reporting, and morphology interpretation standards. Prior edition: WHO 5th Edition (2010).
Semen analysis parameters report findings as percentages and concentrations. Those numbers describe what was measured. Mate Health's Advanced semen analysis includes microscopy images generated during laboratory analysis, with each image linked to a specific parameter measurement. These are not illustrations. They are images of the patient's actual sample.
During laboratory analysis, microscopy images are captured at the time each parameter is evaluated. Images are generated for vitality assessment and DNA fragmentation analysis. Each image documents what the laboratory observed during that specific measurement, providing a visual record alongside the numerical result.
Vitality assessment distinguishes live sperm from non-viable sperm. During evaluation, live sperm are annotated in blue and non-viable sperm in red on microscopy images of the patient's actual sample. The result, a percentage of live sperm, is reported alongside the images that document it. A number tells you the ratio. The image shows you what the laboratory counted.
DNA fragmentation is assessed using Sperm Chromatin Dispersion, or SCD. Under this method, sperm with intact DNA produce a visible halo of dispersed chromatin around the sperm head. Sperm with fragmented DNA produce a smaller or absent halo. Results are classified into five categories: Large Halo, Medium Halo, Small Halo, No Halo, and No Halo Degraded, each corresponding to a level of DNA integrity. Microscopy images provide visual context for how DNA fragmentation findings appear within the patient's sample.
Share with your physician.
Most semen analysis reports deliver numbers. Mate Health's Advanced report includes the images behind them. Parameter-specific microscopy images provide visual context alongside numerical findings and may support more informed conversations with your physician.
CLIA certification and CAP accreditation are independent quality standards. Both require laboratories to demonstrate testing accuracy, qualified personnel, and ongoing oversight.
CLIA, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, is a federal program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Laboratories certified under CLIA meet federal standards for test accuracy, personnel qualifications, and quality control procedures.
Required for all clinical laboratory testing in the United States.
CAP accreditation is additional accreditation beyond baseline CLIA certification. CAP’s Laboratory Accreditation Program has CMS deeming authority, and CAP states that its requirements commonly exceed CLIA standards.
Widely regarded as a leading standard in laboratory quality assurance.
Laboratory analysis performed under the direction of William Roudebush, PhD, HCLD, High-Complexity Laboratory Director with discipline expertise in andrology.
Find answers to common questions about our products, services, and policies.
Mate Health’s at-home collection and transport system was analytically validated using 222 live semen samples evaluated by an independent CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited high-complexity andrology laboratory.
The validation compared baseline semen analysis measurements with delayed transported measurements under controlled cooled conditions. The study demonstrated strong agreement across evaluated semen parameters within the validated transport window.
As with any laboratory test, results depend on proper collection, labeling, shipping, specimen condition, and laboratory analysis. Mate Health results should be interpreted with a healthcare provider.
Mate Health uses Active Cooling and a proprietary semen preservative designed to support specimen stability during overnight transport.
The goal is to preserve the specimen before laboratory analysis, rather than relying only on mathematical correction after transport.
Mate Health’s approach is designed around preserving the specimen before laboratory analysis using Active Cooling and a proprietary semen preservative.
The goal is to reduce pre-analytical changes during transport so the laboratory can analyze a specimen transported under validated conditions, rather than relying only on mathematical correction after shipment.
Sperm are living cells, and semen parameters can be affected by time, temperature, and handling after collection. Motility and progressive motility are especially sensitive to pre-analytical conditions.
Mate Health’s transport system is designed to maintain controlled cooled conditions during shipment so the laboratory can analyze the specimen under validated transport conditions.
Yes, when the specimen is collected, packaged, and shipped according to validated instructions.
Mate Health’s transport system is designed for overnight shipment using Active Cooling and specimen preservation. The kit must be dropped off on the same day you collect the specimen and should only be shipped Monday through Thursday, unless otherwise instructed.
Testing is performed by a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited high-complexity andrology laboratory.
Mate Health reports are designed to provide clinically meaningful results that can be reviewed by patients and physicians.
WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, 6th edition. Geneva: WHO; 2021.
View SourceThe sixth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual: ensuring quality and standardization in basic examination of human ejaculates. Fertil Steril. 2022;117(2):246-251.
View PubMedSperm DNA fragmentation testing: Summary evidence and clinical practice recommendations. Andrologia. 2021;53(2):e13874.
View StudyClinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). Quality standards and laboratory certification guidelines.
View CLIA GuidelinesLaboratory Accreditation Program. Operational standards and rigorous clinical accuracy assessment criteria.
View CAP DetailsMate Health Analytical Validation Report. Comprehensive verification data and internal performance profiling parameters.
Validation Report