A sperm culture (semen culture) checks your semen for bacterial infection — infections can lower sperm motility and count, and they're treatable. Hera arranges your sperm culture test at Quest Diagnostics with the physician order included: $118.78 all-in, no doctor visit or referral needed.
1. Order online — Hera's physician issues the order to Quest for you (Quest test code 4558: Culture, Genital; specimen: semen).
2. Visit your Quest Diagnostics location and provide a sample.
3. Results in 3-5 days with clinician review and clear next steps.
Available at Quest locations nationwide — text (915) 348-4512 and we'll set it up at the Quest nearest you. Already have a culture order from your own doctor? Bring it and pay just $30.
Get your sperm culture testA sperm culture (semen culture) checks your semen for bacterial infection. The lab incubates the sample and identifies any bacteria that grow — commonly organisms like E. coli or Enterococcus — so an infection can be treated with the right antibiotic. Infections in the reproductive tract can lower sperm motility and count.
Through Hera the sperm culture test costs $118.78 all-in at Quest Diagnostics — that covers the Quest lab fee and Hera's physician order and coordination. HSA and FSA cards are accepted at checkout.
Not through Hera — our physician issues the order to Quest for you (Quest test code 4558, Culture, Genital; specimen: semen). If your own doctor already gave you a culture order, you can bring it instead and pay a reduced $30 fee.
Cultures need time to grow, so results typically take 3-5 days after your lab visit — longer than a standard semen analysis. Hera emails you as soon as results are in.
A semen analysis measures sperm count, motility, morphology, and volume — how your sperm are performing. A sperm culture looks for bacterial infection in the semen. They answer different questions and are often ordered together when an infection is suspected, for example when a semen analysis shows elevated white blood cells.
A positive culture identifies which bacteria are present. Take the result to your physician or a urologist for targeted antibiotic treatment, then retest after treatment to confirm the infection cleared. Hera can arrange a follow-up culture or semen analysis when you're ready.