Healthy sperm are crucial to fertility, but they’re not necessarily a given. It’s important to understand what can affect sperm health so you can take steps to keep them healthy.
Semen is a fluid that contains sperm and other substances that help it travel down the penis to fertilize an egg on a female. It contains about 5 to 25 calories per teaspoon.
1. The sperm count
A man’s testicle size correlates with his body size and the number of sperm produced per day, but there are many other factors that can affect fertility. Sperm must be able to move and swim to reach and fertilize an egg, so they require a lot of energy. Pregnancy is possible if 40% of the sperm in a semen sample are moving, but a higher count is better.
Other factors that affect sperm health include a healthy diet, regular exercise, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and reducing stress levels. Studies have shown that oxidative stress can damage mitochondria in the sperm cells and reduce ATP production, so a diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins can help boost sperm energy levels.
Another factor that can affect sperm counts is the sperm morphology, or shape. Depending on your doctor’s criteria, sperm can be classified as normal or abnormal based on their shape. A normal sperm has an oval head and a long tail. However, an abnormal sperm has a shorter tail or no tail at all.
If you have a low sperm count, there are several ways to improve your chances of conception, including assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART treatments involve obtaining sperm from a donor or using artificial insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. A sperm sample can be obtained through natural ejaculation or surgical extraction from the testicles.
2. The number of sperm
In addition to providing the fuel needed for sperm to swim and fertilize an egg, mitochondria are responsible for converting nutrients into energy. When these organelles are stressed or damaged, sperm cannot produce enough energy to survive and the likelihood of pregnancy decreases. In addition, a diet low in vitamins and minerals can impact mitochondrial health, which can also negatively affect fertility.
A sperm count is the number of sperm per volume unit of semen, usually measured in millions per milliliter (ml). The normal sperm count ranges from 15 million to 200 million spermatozoa per ml of semen.
Sperm count fluctuates and it’s important to understand that just because your sperm count is low now doesn’t mean it will be low forever. In fact, studies using different methods of semen analysis show that sperm counts actually increase over time.
In addition to the sperm count, other key measurements are the sperm concentration and motility. A sperm count is the number of active sperm in a sample and can be determined by measuring the concentration (millions per ml) and motility (% moving). The sperm concentration should be higher than 20 million sperm per ml and the sperm movement should be a straight forward movement. It is also helpful to know if the sperm have a normal morphology, meaning they are normal in shape and can swim and penetrate the egg.
3. The motility of sperm
One of the most important aspects of sperm quality is its motility. Motility means the movement of sperm and can be defined as both progressive and non-progressive movements. A sperm that vibrates in place or moves in small circles would be considered non-progressive, whereas a sperm that swims up the female reproductive tract to reach the egg is considered progressive. One ejaculate of semen may contain over 39 million sperm but only those with a high degree of motility will be able to travel through the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes.
The mitochondria within a sperm are responsible for converting nutrients into ATP, which provides energy for swimming and penetration of the egg. These mitochondria are also vulnerable to damage from free radicals and oxidative stress, which can reduce a man’s sperm motility over time.
During the initial stages of sperm production, a sperm cell produces an enzyme called ATP synthase that uses oxygen to generate energy. The ATP synthase enzyme is sensitive to free radicals and oxidative stress, and can be affected by a number of health conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disease and vitamin D deficiency.
In addition, a number of lifestyle factors can cause poor sperm motility, including smoking and high blood pressure. If a man has low sperm motility, it is important to work with an experienced healthcare professional to determine the cause of the issue and correct it.
4. The volume of sperm
When a man ejaculates, the fluid that he produces is called semen. This liquid contains sperm and other fluids from the seminal vesicles, prostate, testicles, epididymis, and bulbourethral glands. Men usually produce 1.5 ml to 5 ml of semen per ejaculation. Semen volume is not related to a man’s sperm count or motility, so the fact that some men produce more semen than others does not indicate how fertile they are.
Once the semen travels through the male reproductive tract, it is mixed with a lubricating fluid from the seminal vesicles, the prostate, and the epididymis. This lubricating fluid helps the sperm to move through the female reproductive tract and reach the egg.
In order to successfully fertilize an egg, sperm must penetrate three layers of defence, including the egg’s membrane. Sperm cells use a chemical message contained within their acrosome to break through the first barrier, then they force their way into the egg using a spike on the head of each cell. If a sperm cell manages to make it through all of these barriers, it will fertilize an egg. Unfortunately, most sperm cells do not succeed in this feat.
The exact reasons for this are not clear, but the researchers suspect that it has to do with the size of a woman’s plumbing. They also believe that lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, can affect sperm energy levels and production.
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