"WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen" was first published in 1980 and was updated four times in the last 30 years (1987, 1992, 1999, 2010) [1]. Considerable efforts were made to translate the manual in numerous languages (in Italy it was edited by the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine— SIAMS), allowing it to mark a level of standardization necessary for human semen analysis to improve both the overall quality and the comparability of results. This year the sixth edition of the WHO Manual is being published [2]. The 2021 version provides implementation of new topics of interest and several updates in the methodological descriptions. Briefly, this new edition covers semen analysis, spermatozoa preparation and cryopreservation and quality control. Procedures related to semen analysis include basic examinations (routine procedures for the evaluation of sperm parameters), second level analyses (extended semen examinations required in specific conditions), research analyses (advanced examinations, not yet considered for laboratory routine use).
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