Normal Sperm Production (An Informative Guide)

If you’re trying to conceive, you may have wondered about normal sperm production and whether you’re producing a healthy amount of sperm.

Keep in mind, the benefits of healthy sperm production extend beyond its reproductive value and are a key component of male sexual health.

But what’s “normal” in terms of sperm production? And how do you know if you have a low sperm count?

There are many ways to tell whether your sperm and semen volume is within the normal range. This is because your semen contains key indicators of healthy sperm and overall sexual health.

If you are interested in knowing how to tell if your sperm production is in the normal range, read on.

Because this article will tell you everything you need to know about the healthy range for sperm production and semen volume.

We will also look at some indicators of low sperm production and discuss some treatment options.

What this article covers:

How to Tell if Your Semen Volume is Normal
What to Do if You Have Low Sperm Count

How to Tell if Your Semen Volume is Normal

The first indicator of male sexual health has to do with semen volume. This term refers to how much semen you produce when you ejaculate.

Yes, it’s great to have thick and strong cum, but this won’t necessarily tell you much about your sexual health or the amount of sperm.

So instead of wondering how to get thicker cum, you may want to look at how much semen you produce first.

The average range for semen volume is between 1,5 and 5 ml. This means a healthy amount of ejaculation will just fill up a teaspoon.

So don’t worry too much if you are not producing bucketloads of semen. A small quantity is sufficient to be considered normal.

How Much Sperm is in the Semen?

This may come as a shock, but unless you’re on steroids, you should expect anything from 15 million to 200 million sperms per one milliliter of semen.

Of course, there are many ways to increase your sperm count after steroids, so don’t stress too much if your numbers don’t fall within this range.

There are also other ways to increase your sperm count if there’s another aspect at play.

A healthy sperm count is estimated at about 39 million sperm per ejaculate. This may seem like a lot, but your body produces an immense amount of sperm.

You may be wondering how long it takes to produce sperm (especially if you need to have millions on hand every time you ejaculate).

The life cycle of sperm is about 64 days, but your body is always busy producing sperm and you literally produce billions of sperm per day (approximately 1500 sperm every second).

So, how is it possible to have a low sperm count? And how do you know if you have a low sperm count?

Of course, you can’t physically see how much sperm your semen contains so you’ll have to do a semen analysis to find out just exactly how much sperm your semen contains.

What to Do if You Have Low Sperm Count

Before we look at what to do if you have a low sperm count, let’s look at how you know you have a low sperm count.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t something you can necessarily observe unless you and your partner are experiencing issues in fertility.

There are also other signs such as difficulty getting or maintaining an erection or hormonal changes that can indicate that your sperm count is too low.

If you suspect that you have a low sperm count, you’ll need to get a confirmed diagnosis from a doctor.

Diagnosis

If you suspect a diagnosis of low sperm count, your physician will conduct a general consultation of your genitals to look for any physical abnormalities or issues.

They’ll also ask about your family’s medical history and any other illnesses, chronic medication, surgeries, injuries, or health problems that may contribute to your sexual functioning and fertility.

Lastly, to confirm a diagnosis of low sperm count, a semen analysis will be conducted.

Semen Analysis

How Does it Work?

Semen analysis involves examining a sample of semen under a microscope to see how many sperm appears within the square of a certain grid.

You’ll be asked to produce a semen sample and present it to the doctor unless religious beliefs prevent you from doing so.

In this case, you’ll be provided with a specialized condom to collect your semen sample in.

Physicians also use more than one semen sample over the course of a couple of months to ensure consistency in the analysis.

Semen is then analyzed in terms of motility, number, and shape.

What is Analyzed?

The number is analyzed in terms of the total sperm count per ejaculate, the semen volume, and the concentration of sperm per milliliter of semen.

Motility refers to the movement of sperm and is calculated in terms of a percentage by multiplying semen volume by the percentage of moving sperm.

This number should be somewhere between 40-81%.

This is also sometimes represented by a count of 0-4 where 3 or 4 indicates good motility.

The shape of sperm is analyzed to determine how much of the sperm produced has an abnormal shape.

It’s important to know that all men produce abnormal sperm, so no one is a true outlier in this sense, and the range of sperm morphology should fall in the range of having 4-48% normally shaped sperm.

If you’re worried about low sperm count, but you’re not ready to consult a physician yet, there are also a variety of at-home semen analysis tests you can use that can give you an indication of whether your sperm count is healthy.

If a semen analysis has confirmed a low sperm count, there are several treatment options.

Some of these are minor lifestyle adjustments whilst others require medical intervention.

The type of treatment will depend on the reason why you want to increase your sperm count.

Suppose you’re doing it to increase your overall sexual health. In that case, intervention may be less intense, but if you are doing it to try and conceive, a more serious intervention might be necessary.

If you think of how long men can produce sperm and how many sperm your body produces naturally, low sperm count may seem like something that’ll never happen to you.

However, research suggests that half of the couples who experience infertility, experience it due to low sperm count and that suboptimal sperm parameters affect about 2% of men.

Treatment

Lifestyle Changes

In terms of male sexual health, a healthy lifestyle plays a crucial role in healthy sperm and semen production.

This is why one of the first suggestions for healthy sperm production involves following a healthy lifestyle.

This means limiting alcohol and avoiding toxins and smoking. In addition, men should maintain a healthy weight, follow a balanced diet, and exercise.

Supplements

Supplements that help to increase sperm production may include a small or wide range of vitamins that are linked to increased sperm production and sexual health.

Zinc and folic acid have been promoted as some of the best supplements for male sexual health.

However, many other vitamins such as vitamins C, B12, and Vitamin D have also been seen sd being effective in promoting male sexual health.

In addition, some other natural remedies such as Ashwagandha have also been recommended.

It can be difficult to get the balance of these vitamins right through diet and even through a range of supplements.

This is why we recommend a balanced supplement like Semenax pills, which include everything you need for healthy sperm production in a single capsule.

Not only does Semenax’s clinically-proven formula contain all the extracts you need to increase sperm production, but it also boosts orgasm intensity and improves ejaculatory control.

Avoid Certain Medications and Steroids

Certain medications as well as anabolic steroids can also lower sperm count.

This is why physicians will check any medications you are on for associations to lower sperm production and if possible, allow you to discontinue their use to increase sperm production.

These meds include steroids, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants, anti-androgens, opioids, and illicit drugs.

Avoid Heat

Exposing your testicles to warm temperatures can negatively affect sperm production.

For this reason, men are often encouraged to avoid hot tubs, warm baths, and any heat around the testicular area.

This also means limiting sitting, and you’re encouraged to wear loose-fitting pants and underwear, preferably made of cotton, to decrease the temperature in this area.

Limit The Use of Lube

Research on the use of lube has been sparse, but some physicians recommend avoiding the use of lube during intercourse to improve fertility.

Gonadotrophin

Some doctors may recommend gonadotrophin medication if low levels of gonadotrophin hormones have been identified as a cause for abnormal sperm production.

Fertility Treatments

In some cases, sperm count can’t be improved with any of the above treatments, and couples need to turn to fertility treatments if they are trying to conceive.

Fortunately, there are a few options.

In Vitro Fertilisation

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is probably the most common fertility treatment and is often recommended to couples who have been trying to conceive for two years without success.

In IVF, an egg is removed from the ovaries and fertilized with the sperm under clinical conditions in a laboratory.

After this process, the fertilized egg is returned to the woman’s womb.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a type of IVF treatment that involves injecting a single sperm into an egg to fertilize before transferring the egg to the female’s womb.

This is recommended for men who have very low sperm count or low-quality sperm.

Donor Insemination

In cases of donor insemination, another man’s sperm is used to fertilize a woman’s egg.

This has far-reaching psychological implications for the parents and the children and is often pursued as a last resort.

Do You Need to Increase Sperm Count if You Do Not Want to Conceive?

In short, yes. Sperm count is part of healthy sexual functioning, and low sperm count can cause a variety of other issues, apart from issues with fertility.

A healthy sperm count is a good indicator of overall health and a low sperm count can lead to a host of sexual issues, like swelling or pain in the testicular area, lower sex drive, and a decrease in facial or body hair.

So, the benefits of increasing sperm count extend beyond fertility.

What Causes Low Sperm Count?

Medical History

One of the most common causes of low sperm count has to do with a male’s medical history, including past medical conditions, surgeries, or medications.

Sexually transmitted diseases that lead to infected genitalia are one of the main contributors.

Surgery to the testicular area or hernia repairs can also be a contributing factor.

Certain hormonal conditions, specifically those linked to reduced hormone production, can cause lower sperm count.

And, as previously mentioned, a variety of medications have also been linked to a decrease in sperm count and sperm volume.

Steroids are one of the most common culprits, but antidepressants, cancer treatment, and certain antibiotics may also affect sperm production.

Genetics and Physical Causes

Lower sperm count can be the result of genetic issues such as Klinefelter syndrome. This refers to the condition when a male is born with an additional x-chromosome.

Structural issues can also cause low sperm count and may include an absence or defect in the tubes that carry sperm or enlarged veins in the testicles (also known as varicoceles).

It can also be caused by having undescended testicles as a baby, which refers to an abnormal placement of the testicles at birth.

Lifestyle Factors

One of the biggest causes of low sperm count is being overweight or obese.

However, there are also other lifestyle factors that can contribute to low sperm count including smoking and excessive alcohol use.

Marijuana and cocaine have also been linked to lower sperm count.

Conclusion

The bad news is that low sperm count may be the result of various factors, and it’s the most common cause of infertility among men.

The good news is that there are several remedies available that can increase sperm count.

If you’re worried about your sperm production, grab an at-home semen analysis kit or consult your doctor to receive an official diagnosis.

Confirming the presence of low sperm production and knowing its causes are the first steps in treating it properly.

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