Design and Implementation of a Deep Learning System to Analyze Bovine Sperm Morphology

Abstract

Sperm morphology analysis is critical for assessing bovine fertility, since it provides insight into bull reproductive potential as well as subfertility and infertility. Traditional sperm morphology analysis is time-consuming, subjective, and prone to human error, all of which highlight the need for automated, objective solutions. This study presents the design and implementation of a computer-aided system for bovine sperm morphology analysis, leveraging deep learning models to detect and classify sperm cells based on their morphological characteristics. Using micrographs of bull sperm, we present a sequential deep learning framework that automatically detects morphological sperm aberrations. The model segments and analyzes each cell, identifying defects in the head, neck/midpiece, tail, and residual cytoplasm. Specifically, the system employs the YOLOv7 object detection framework, trained on a dataset of 277 annotated images comprising six morphological categories, to automatically identify and classify sperm abnormalities. The experimental results demonstrate a global mAP@50 of 0.73, precision of 0.75, and recall of 0.71, indicating a balanced tradeoff between accuracy and efficiency. By reducing reliance on manual analysis, this work enhances efficiency and accuracy in animal reproduction laboratories, contributing to veterinary reproduction through a cost-effective and scalable solution for sperm quality assessment.