How good is your sperm?

The man is resposible 40 to 50 per cent of the time a couple cannot get pregnant. The major cause is low semen quality.
Semen  like blood is a fluid organ. It comes from the seminal vesicles, the prostate, the bulbourethral glands and the testes.  These make and contribute diffferent components of semen which contains sperm(atozoa), sugars(fructose and galactose), enzymes, basic compounds to counter the vagina's acidity, hormones and other substances.

What makes good semen?

1. Volume:There should be more than 2 milliliters per ejaculate.

2 The sperm count: This is the concentration of sperm cells. The number of sperm  in one milliliter of ejaculate. It should be at least 15 million per ml.

3.The total number of sperm in one ejaculate should be at least 39 million.

4.The liquefaction time: Semen is sticky. It is thought to help retain it in the vagina. But liquefies as time passes. It is thought to enable it swim on towards the egg.
This should happen within  sixty minutes of collection of the semen sample.  Prolongation of this time may be caused by an infection.

5. Motility: At least 60 percent of the s;perm cells should be motile


6. Morphology: At least 70% normal in shape. Sperm have a head, neck and tail. Abnormal shape includes two heads, two tails, round heads, and short tail.  Abnormally shaped sperm may not be able to fertilize the egg.

7.The acidity/Alkalinity: The normal pH  ranges from 7.2 to 8. Slightly basic to counter the acidity of the vagina.

8.White blood cells: none should be present.

9. Red blood cells: none should be present.

The semen sample is collected after total abstinence of at least three days and preferably by masturbation as against interrupted sex. However special collection condoms yield better samples. The analysis is repeated as semen quality is variable for the same man. First samples are usually the poorest.

Other tests of male fertility include hormone assays for luteinizing hormone(LH), follicle stimulating hormone ( FSH), prolactin and dihydrotestosterone.

Causes of low quality sperm include: varices in the scrotum(varicocoele), mumps, radiation exposure to  the testes and and the male mixed -sex condition Klinefelter's syndrome.