During sex at the end of each act penis ejaculates whitish liquid called semen. One millimeter of semen contains a few millions of spermatozoa or sperms along with gland secretions. These sperms come from the male reproductive organs. Semen ejaculation is entangled with sexual pleasure and orgasms while the whole purpose remains for reproduction the sperms contain secretions from several glands and some of it comes from the testicles too. These sperms are cyclic in production.
Sperms take more than 70 days to be produced and they are all produced in the testicles. A sperm looks like a tadpole and has a tail and it can move that tail which indicates that the sperm is alive and is capable of reproduction.
The sperm in its early stage with a tail is called the spermatid eventually matures into a spermatozoa and this whole process itself takes about 60 days and it takes another 15 days after that to pass into the ducts of testicles. When ejaculation takes place the sperm leaves the body in the semen. The fluids which come out of the testicles are very rich in testosterone and there are many other chemicals present too.
Normal semen is something which is either white or grey. Sometimes when men have health problems this semen may appear to be blood spotted or pink or yellow. This would require a doctor’s intervention but other wise normal semen would look white or grey. Semen clots as soon as it ejaculates out and becomes jelly like after that it becomes liquidly again and dries up pretty soon.
The volume of semen normally measures up to 5 ml and can be anywhere between 2 and 5 ml actually. This is called the sperm volume and sperm count is measured where the sperms present in every millimeter of the semen is counted. Sperm count is normally taken in men to test if their reproductive organs are functioning normally and if they can have children.
Out of a few millions of sperms released into the female ovaries only one sperm makes it and fertilizes the egg. In the end only one sperm is needed from those millions to have a child. The world health organization says that a healthy sperm count is when there is at least 20 million sperms one ml of semen.
This does not mean that men can have 20 million babies because female egg is only one and only one sperm which is the fastest can make it to the egg and fertilize it. And out of those twenty million sperms barely a few sperms can do this and in those few one sperm makes it.
Every time a man ejaculates and if his sex organs and reproductive organs are healthy then in every ejaculation there would be at least 40 million sperms. In this volume 75 percent of the sperms would be alive if his reproduction system is working well and 30 percent would be shaped normally.
Out of the 75 percent which are alive, 25 percent should be swimming fast and the rest 50 percent should be moving forward even if they are slow.
There is a lot of criterion for sperms to declare a man’s reproductive system healthy and it all depends on how his sperms behave.
It is normal to find abnormal sperms and even dead sperms being formed in a perfectly healthy and normal male reproductive system. However having a healthy sperm count doesn’t mean the male has no problems with the reproductive organs. But it only indicates that the reproductive system is fertile. Sperm count is a fertility test more than anything. Sometimes if the sperm count is too high also it may result in fertility problems.
Researchers have been claiming that the male fertility is actually on the decline and the sperm count has been falling year after year. There may be several reasons for this like toxins in the body, STD or sexually transmitted diseases, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, zinc deficiency and many other external factors. But even if the sperm count has been falling there has been no effect on fertility so one cannot draw any inference from this.
The whole purpose of a sperm is to make babies and if they are less in number also this cycle hasn’t stopped. People who have fertility problems and a terribly low sperm count cannot father a child. For that they have to get rid of all their bad habits like smoking and drinking or any substance abuse if any. Drugs, tobacco and alcohol have proven to have negative effects on the male reproductive organs and this has been proven clinically.
They reduce the sperm count, damage the sperms and people who are drug addicts have high chances of producing babies which are mentally challenged and sometimes even limbless babies. People with diabetes also have a low sperm count and they should take extra precautions to keep their blood sugar under check and maintain a healthy lifestyle. People who are obese also have problems with sperm count. Sperm count in men depends on many factors depending on each individual personality. It is best to consult a fertility clinic and act on their advice to improve the sperm count.
A low or high sperm count has not bearing on the general health of a man other than the ability to have children. It is purely taken only from fertility point of view. The general advice to men on being fertile is to adopt a healthy lifestyle with minimizing alcohol, and smoking habits, exercise daily and eat healthy. They are advised to steer clear of drugs and any kind of substance abuse. They are also asked to develop healthy sexual habits and avoid exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Always use condoms for safety.
Sperm count is one thing and there is another influential factor called the sperm quality. The sperm quality depends on the health of the sperm itself. Sperms are considered healthy if they swim fast. Male hormones also have a bearing on the sperm quality and some hormonal imbalances may reduce the sperm quality in the semen.
Hormones and gland secretions are apart of semen so if there is any hormone which is present in excess in the semen other than testosterone then it may have negative effects on the sperm. Stress is another factor which ahs major effects on semen and the sperm quality. Stress triggers a lot of unwanted hormones in the body which cause many imbalances including depression and it also has a negative effect on the sperm count and the sperm quality itself.
Men are advised to drink lots of water so that the fluids in the body are increased and the body balance is maintained. Even if there are toxins they get diluted and flushed out of the system. Fertility clinics also say that young couples have a higher fertility rate than older couples. They also find that younger men have a better healthy sperm count than older men.
Couples are also advised to have children early in their life than late because the babies born will be much healthier. Every sperm has a certain percentage of healthiness. Not all sperms are 100 percent perfect. But young couples have higher chances of having a100 percent perfect baby than older couples. It all depends on the individual’s health also.
For men who have fertility problems and a low sperm count they usually are put on medication to improve the sperm count. These are called sperm volume tablets. They are usually advised to sleep well and eat well. They need to have a well rested body and more than average healthy life style including gym and exercise if they want to be fertile.
The medicine works only if they stick to these norms because the reproductive system should not be under any kind of external influence including alcohol and smoking. Fertility problems have solutions but men who opt for it should have the adherence to make those solutions work for them.