Sperm Test Results – What Do They Mean? Help With Semen Analysis
“A normal sperm has three sections: a head, a midpiece, and a tail,” writes Sharon Perkins and Jackie Meyers-Thompson in Infertility For Dummies 
Since male infertility accounts for about 33% of not getting pregnant for couples, it’s important to get a semen analysis done if you can’t get pregnant. A man’s sperm count, motility, or production is very important to pregnancy! To learn more about male fertility, read How to Make Love to a Plastic Cup: A Guy’s Guide to the World of Infertility.
And, here’s a description of the three parts of a sperm, plus information on what sperm test results mean…
What is a Sperm Made of?
Though sperm are teeny tiny, laboratory technicians can see their details under a microscope (which is what will happen during a semen analysis or sperm test).
- The head of a sperm contains all the genetic material, so a sperm with an abnormal head can’t fertilize an egg.
- The midpiece of a sperm contains fructose, which is the energy it needs to move rapidly.
- The tail of a sperm is necessary for propulsion. Sperm with no tail, two tails, or coiled tails are abnormal, and won’t help with getting pregnant.
“Most laboratories can do a ‘screening’ semen analysis,” writes Sharon Perkins and Jackie Meyers-Thompson in Infertility For Dummies
What Do My Sperm Test Results Mean?
Okay, you’ve received the results of your sperm test…and you have no idea what sperm volume, concentration, motility, or morphology really means! Have no fear: the following parameters are from the World Health Organization (WHO) – a reliable source of medical information.
Normal sperm volume (amount) is 1.5 to 5 ml, or about a teaspoon.
Normal sperm concentration should be greater than 20 million sperm/ml, or a total of greater than 40 million per ejaculate.
Normal sperm motility means that more than 40% of the sperm should be moving (swim forward, mates!).
Normal sperm morphology means that more than about 30% of sperm should be normally shaped, as determined by the lab technician. If the lab uses the more strict Kruger criteria, normal sperm morphology should be 14%.
Normal sperm forward progression is at least 2, on a scale of 1 to 4 (this part of the sperm test measures how many sperm are moving forward).
Sperm white blood cells should be no more than 0 to 5 per high-power field. More could indicate infection.
Sperm hyperviscosity means that the semen should gel promptly, but should liquefy within 30 minutes after the sample is taken.
Sperm Ph should be alkaline, to protect sperm from the acidic environment of the woman’s va-jay-jay.
If you’re worried about the health of your sperm, read Low Sperm Count – How Do I Make Healthy Sperm?
And, if you’ve done a sperm test (or are preparing to do a sperm test), remember that semen samples can vary from month to month – or even day to day! It takes 72 days for sperm to develop. How does this affect the semen analysis or sperm test results? If you were ill, taking medication, or had anything unusual going on three months before the sperm test, then the results may not be indicative of normal sperm count, motility, or production.
I hope this helps you read the results of your sperm test…don’t give up on your dream of getting pregnant!
Category: Fertility Tests, Male Infertility Tips, Sperm Count & Motility Tips
Me and my wife have been trying to have a child for the last 10 years; we have done IVF 6 times and nothing seems to work. Recently I underwent another semen analysis and the results are really worrying me; please helm understand them;
Colour: whitish grey
Ph: 8.3
Volume: 2.0ml
Viscousity: 30mm
Liquefaction: poor
Count: 3.0 million/ml
Total: 6 million
Motility: 0%
SPERM MORPHOLOGY
Percentage normal forms: 6%
Small/absent acrosomes: 23%
Tapered/elongated forms: 2%
Leucocytes: present(+)
squamous epithelial: present (+)
erythrocytes: not observed
semen report
color ; grey
reaction ; alkaline volume ;0.5 ml viscosity ; viscous
total sperm count ; 32 milli/cmm
motile ;35
sluggish ; 45%
immotle ; 20 %
other cells puscells ; 1- 2/hpf epicells; nil rcb’s ; nil
plz cheek my sperm report
VOLUME 2.5
CONSISTENCY VISCID
COLOUR L.GRAY
O dour MUSTY
Liquefaction 15 Mint
Sperm 110 millions/ml
Normal Motility 40%
sullegish MOTILITY 15%
Morphology 70%
Pus cells 1-2
Take tablets like menivet to boost sperm quality.
Hello! This is my boyfriends sperm test results…please help me analyze
Cheers!
Motility – 64
Rapidly Progressive – 44
Sluggish – 20
Immotile – 36
I gather he is at 64% motility…36% immotile right?
Concentration – 108.5
Total Motile – 208.3
Normal Morphology – 9%
WHO Criteria
Mid-piece defect – 87%
Tail-piece defect – 4%
So…his morpholgy is at 9%?? So does that mean 9% have a chance of penetrating the egg? This is confusing ;( Help!
Love this site. I had to use IVF to try to conceive but had a miscarriage after a couple of weeks. Every Mom has a Journey towards becoming a Mom at Last. If that journey took you through Surrogacy, Adoption, or In-Vitro Fertilization, Mom at Last is the place to find information, success stories, & inspirational quotes. Visit our Mom Community today at http://www.MomatLast.com Every Mom has a Journey…so let’s connect & celebrate it!
Hello Mary,
Only a urologist, gynecologist, or fertility doctor can tell you what the chances of conception are, based on those sperm test results. Getting pregnant is more than having a good semen analysis and a successful tubal ligation reversal…it really depends on what other factors are involved (eg, age of both you and your husband, lifestyle, overall health, other sperm or ovary issues, etc).
I wish you all the best in getting pregnant!
Blessings,
Laurie
My husbands volume was 1.0 and sperm morphology 26. I’m looking into getting a tubaligation reversal. Is he capable of conceiving with these results?????
Hi Yaseen,
What did your doctor say about your sperm test results? Reviving sluggish sperm may depend on the cause. Did you get your semen analysis from a urologist or a fertility doctor? If not, you should talk to one as soon as possible.
Blessings,
Laurie
Hi dear Richard!
My sperm motility is 5 % only. 60% sluggish motile sperms are found. How can i make it better?
Regards
Hi Richard,
Did you get the number results of your sperm test? I’m not sure how to help you read your semen analysis, without knowing what results you have. Could you post more information?
A better idea is to take your sperm test results to a doctor, and get him or her to interpret them for you.
Good luck – I hope your sperm test results are good!
Blessings,
Laurie
I just got my test done and now how do I read it???