In about half of the couples who go to a fertility clinic because they do not get pregnant, the problem is male infertility and in most cases as a result of poor semen quality. This is determined from multiple parameters:
- Semen volume: it is normal to occur between 2 and 5 milliliters per ejaculation.Given that the number of ejaculations volume is reduced and it increases with the time of prior sexual abstinence, systematic values below and above the above are indicative of problems that can affect fertility.
- Its viscosity.
- The way it thickens and then turns liquid.
- The acidity (pH) and liquid fructose. Citric acid and fructose indicate secretory capacity of the prostate and seminal vesicles. Normal levels of both substances are above 52 and 13 micromolar, respectively.
- Sperm concentration.
- Sperm motility.
- Sperm shape.
- DNA fragmentation of sperm.
Keep in mind that the semen is ejected in each ejaculation consists of secretions of various glands and only 5% from the testes, which produce sperm from germ cells and a liquid rich in testosterone which allows first pass through the epididymis before moving to semen. The rest is produced in the seminal vesicles, prostate and bulbourethral and urethral glands. Once together, the different components make semen has a sticky appearance, sticky texture and white or greyish (sometimes can appear slightly yellow) components of semen.
The point is that semen quality can be affected by many factors, such as certain diseases (such as varicocele), drug use, snuff and alcohol, the use of certain drugs, environmental factors such as exposure to toxic substances or ionizing radiation, sexually transmitted infections, fever, in environments with high temperatures, etc.
Normal semen quality
can reach surprising the number of dead and abnormal sperm in each semen sample.But in any case, the semen quality is normal when the following criteria are met:
- The total volume of semen must be between 1.5 and 5 milliliters.
- Sperm concentration must be at least 20 million per milliliter of semen (reach 150 million).
- At least 75% of the sperm should be alive.
- 30% of them must be well trained.
- 25% have to move forward with a flick and 50% should go forward albeit slowly.