When it comes to infertility issues, there are many myths and misnomers out there to be avoided. Avoided because fertility myths typically discourage trying-to-conceive couples with discouraging (or simply frightening) misinformation. Among the most common myths? That it's mostly the woman who is to blame for infertility problems or delays in conceiving a baby.
The fact is about half of all infertility obstacles are contributed by men.
A second common (male) fertility myth is that sperm health is just about numbers - or sperm count. And while a healthy sperm count is a vital dimension of male fertility, there are clearly many other physiological factors (called sperm parameters) that are equally important. Let's clear up these myths and see what one can do to improve male fertility health - as well as sperm counts.
Increasing Sperm Counts Just as with female fertility, male fertility is quite complex - and there are many variables impacting sperm health. Let's first look at sperm count and then we'll examine other key male fertility parameters - including sperm motility and morphology.
Sperm count is the number (or concentration) of sperm that should be present/measurable in a given sample. The World Health Organization provides guidelines for a healthy sperm count. The benchmark for a "normal" count is 20 million sperm per milliliter - given a total semen volume of 2 ml. That equates to a total number of sperm per/sample of 40 million. The SpermCheck Fertility Test is an inexpensive, at-home test that can be used to determine if your sperm count is in the normal range (over 20 million per milliliter).
If these large numbers are startling, one conclusion one may quickly draw is that it generally requires large numbers of sperm to ensure that a pregnancy is achieved. That's because only a relative few of these 20 to 40 million sperm are capable of making the long and difficult journey through the cervix to fallopian tube to the awaiting egg. And as there is typically only one egg released during ovulation into one fallopian tube, approximately 50% of any awaiting sperm will likely gather around the "wrong" fallopian tube entrance. Complicating things even more, under ideal circumstances, sperm can only live for a handful of days, so an egg must be "punctual" if conception is to take place.
If conceiving is a "numbers game", then sperm count is important. At the same time, a lower than average sperm count does not consign you to an infertility category. In fact, a low sperm count does not mean that you cannot conceive, it simply means that
- 1) it may take longer to conceive a baby
2) dietary, lifestyle, or health interventions may be required
3) ovulation prediction/timing intercourse in accordance with a prescribed frequency of intercourse may be advised or
4) more formal medical interventions may be suggested by your doctor.
Also, a "low sperm count" should not be confused with more serious issues like azoospermia, or not having any measurable sperm count at all (whether due to physiological obstructions or spermatogenesis issues).