Can Sperm Be Collected for Clinical Trials Without Masturbation?

[Ara macao]

Well, how do doctors collect sperm for say, a clinical trial?

Especially if say, the subject can't masturbate? [but has hit puberty]

 

[DaveC426913]

Can't? Or won't?

Because. You know. They can learn.

 

[pakmingki]

stick a needle into their testicles and extract it.

 

[whatta]

a needle? I would rather learn to masturbate.

 

[moe darklight]

stick a needle into their testicles and extract it.

ouch! is this a serious answer? I hope not... because if it is, then more research $ should definitely be put into alternate methods!

to answer the original question, I'm pretty sure they stimulate the prostate. I'm not sure if this is done with an electrical charge like with animals, or manually though.

I don't see why they would need to resort to needles unless there is something wrong with the urethra or something like that that would prevent semen from traveling.

 

[pakmingki]

im just joking (i hope)
it probably is masturbation

 

[Moonbear]

If one is unable to ejaculate sufficient sperm, such as in cases of infertility involving low sperm count, or when a vasectomy or other obstruction prevents semen from getting expelled from the testes, indeed, a needle is used in a procedure called testicular sperm extraction (TESE). It is painful, and only something done as a last resort.

Unless one were conducting a clinical trial on infertile patients who would require this, that would not be the method of obtaining sperm.

I have my doubts that someone would be able to obtain IRB approval to study sperm in pubertal boys, due to the obvious social issues of the collection process.