Associate Professor Liana Maree. Image: Supplied

Some might do a double-take, wondering if an online advert calling for semen donations for research is a prank. But the Comparative Spermatology Laboratory at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is no joke – it’s the real deal.

The quest for donor samples isn’t for fertility treatments or any fertilisation efforts, but for groundbreaking research into male reproductive health, clarified Associate Professor Liana Maree, who heads up the study. 

“It’s simply to research general sperm function in South African men.”

The initiative isn’t just a Movember initiative, but continues throughout the year and aims to address a growing concern. She said worldwide, about 15% of couples struggle to fall pregnant. Of those, 50% is due to a male factor, and 30% is purely male-related, with factors such as poor sperm quality being the main culprit.

In South Africa, the numbers are even more striking. Recent statistics show that one in four couples struggle to conceive, and 40% of that is due to male fertility issues.

Sperm motility (movement) analysis showing sperm tracks (red, green, blue lines) and sperm with specific swimming characteristics (turquoise blocks). Image: Supplied

The laboratory research focuses on understanding how lifestyle, genetics and environmental factors impact sperm health, as well as developing novel techniques to assess sperm structure and function. 

“We’re investigating contaminants found in our marine environment to see their effect on sperm function,” said Prof Maree. “Lifestyle factors like alcohol, smoking, diabetes and other illnesses also play a significant role.”

To ensure the integrity of the research, the lab is currently recruiting healthy young male donors. “We try to focus on healthy males to eliminate secondary factors. Donors fill in a questionnaire about their lifestyle - whether they drink, smoke, exercise - so we can ensure the samples are not affected by too many variables.”

A close-up look at sperm structure, showing the size and shape of three key parts: the head (blue), the acrosome - an enzyme-filled cap that helps with fertilisation (yellow), and the midpiece, which powers movement (green).

Participants are compensated for their donations, but Prof Maree clarifies the ethics behind this. “It’s not about trading samples for money. It’s compensation for the effort - coming to campus, taking time off to deliver the samples to our lab. It’s one of the incentives to get samples, which are difficult to obtain.”

The programme is ethically approved and operates primarily on campus, where students are more likely to understand the importance of research. She explained that this is not unique; people get paid all over the world for semen samples. 

The laboratory’s work is part of a broader effort to raise awareness about male infertility - a topic long overshadowed by assumptions that fertility issues are solely female. 

“We’re trying to make people more aware that males also contribute to infertility. In many cases, the problem is unexplained, and that’s what we’re trying to uncover.”

Donors and collaborators interested in contributing to this vital research are welcome to contact Professor Maree at lmaree@uwc.ac.za.