Market leaders in temperature controlled microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments, have been chosen by an NHS Fertility clinic as suppliers of a controlled warm stage to perform routine semen analysis at body temperature.
A Scottish NHS laboratory has chosen a Linkam THL60-16 warm stage as a reliable solution for the assessment of sperm motility. About 25% of couples are affected by fertility problems, with around 35% of men sub-fertile and 2% infertile. One of the services provided by the NHS is fertility testing and for men that means assessment of a semen sample. The concentration, motility and the morphology of spermatozoa are all assessed to determine fertility.
Sperm motility is temperature dependent. This warm stage can heat/cool from ambient to 60°C. To establish in-vivo fertility, observations need to be carried out at exactly 37°C to mimic conditions within the human body. The use of a precise, accurate heated warm stage is an essential part of the assessment. This is to ensure the assessment is conducted at a stable and specific temperature. Within the design of this Linkam warm stage a platinum resistor temperature sensor is used for higher accuracy and stability. A sophisticated CAD designed bi-filar heating element covers the entire working surface which provides a uniform temperature distribution in the sample slide. The Linkam stage gives the assessor the confidence that all samples are observed at a stable, set temperature.