Understanding the importance of sperm health and production is pivotal for couples trying to conceive. When they think about this, the first question that hits their mind is how much sperm is needed for a successful pregnancy.
We got you covered! This blog provides a detailed overview of the necessary sperm count for a successful conception. So, never skip any section; start scrolling down.
How much Sperm Quantity is required for Pregnancy?
Scientifically, only one healthy, motile, and high-morphological sperm is enough to fertilize an egg. However, couples or men can’t find that one sperm and directly insert it into the uterus.
In this case, how much sperm is essential for successful conception? The optimal sperm count ranges from 20 to 150 million sperm per millilitre, and the lowest count is 15 million sperm per millilitre.
At the minimal quantity, at least 40% of the sperm should be motile, and 32% should be progressively motile. This encourages the chances of pregnancy and helps to enter parenthood.
Is sperm quantity the only factor that matters?
No, obviously not. Sperm quantity is not the only factor that results in a happy pregnancy.
Even a few drops of sperm can make a woman pregnant. Meanwhile, some women don’t get pregnant even after having regular sexual intercourse.
This happens because of several factors affecting fertility, including:
Sperm Motility is the movement of a sperm that helps it reach an egg and fertilize. More than 40% of sperm motility is normal; less than this range indicates poor sperm motility.
As a result, natural pregnancy may be delayed, or the couple could face difficulties in conception.
Sperm Morphology is the shape, head size, tail, and entire structure of the sperm cell. But how does it affect conception? Sperm cells must be in a certain shape that helps penetrate the egg’s outer layer.
Abnormal sperm morphology is not such a huge concern to address because couples can become parents, but it takes a lot of time.
Sperm Quality is the overall health of the entire semen. According to the World Health Organization’s guidelines, a healthy sperm count should be at least 39 million per ejaculation or 15 million per ml.
Men can improve their sperm quality and production by choosing fertility-friendly foods, following good lifestyle habits, and quitting unhealthy habits like smoking, alcohol, etc.
Why do you need Many Sperm When Only One Will Fertilize the Egg?
Yes, scientifically, an egg needs one sperm for successful fertilization. However, some factors, like motility, morphology, and sperm quality, create an urge for many sperm to fertilize a single egg.
In the ejaculated semen, there must be progressively motile sperm, motile sperm, and sperm with the right head and tail shape for easy penetration. That’s the reason and concept behind having sex every day if a couple needs a baby.
How to Get Pregnant With Low Sperm Motility?
Low motility is a crucial barrier to a successful pregnancy, as low-motile sperm stops the journey before reaching the eggs. If this is your case, here are three solutions:
- Improving habits to increase motility and have a successful natural pregnancy.
- Young age couples who are facing low sperm motility means they can opt for IUI, Intrauterine insemination.
- If you’re above 30 years old and just now planned pregnancy but failed due to low sperm motility, choose IVF.
Both IUI and IVF are very popular and successful assisted reproductive techniques that change many couples to parents.
So, men with low sperm motility may struggle a lot to make their partners pregnant. In that case, couples can choose IVF or IUI procedure.
Consult fertility experts to know about these two treatments.
How Much Sperm Does a Healthy male produce?
A healthy man’s body can produce from 20 to 150 million sperm per millilitre of semen. And per ejaculation, the value is from 1.5 to 5.0 millilitres.
If it is hyperspermia, a man ejaculates around 5 to 6 million in a single time. But, when it is hypospermia the sperm count ranges below 1.5 ml. Males who are witnessing changes in their semen volume must consult the doctor to avoid problems in future
How Can You Measure It?
Men can choose a home sperm kit and visit a laboratory to check their semen quality and sperm count.
If you choose at-homing testing kits, purchase the best brands and follow the instructions properly. Ejaculate the semen into the provided cup; you will get the results within a few minutes. At-home tests will only give results related to facility factors; you can’t know about sperm quality, morphology, and count.
To get a detailed analysis of semen quality, you can choose a lab semen analysis. At laboratory tests, a male’s semen is analyzed, and evaluated these things,
- Sperm count
- Semen volume
- Sperm concentration
- Motility of sperm
- Morphology of sperm
- Sperm viability (alive)
When to Worry about my sperm count?
In many cases, men don’t know that they have fertility issues till marriage. Couples come to the thought that they may have reproductive problems after trying to conceive naturally for a prolonged period. So, this is generally the time many men start worrying about sperm count.
Other than this, men need to stay conscious and worry about their sperm count if they experience any of these symptoms. Yeah, these are the most notable signs of unhealthy sperm.
- Foul-smelling semen
- Discoloured semen
- Water consistency
- Changes in the volume of ejaculated semen can be high or low.
What Causes Low Sperm Count?
If you’re worrying that you’ve low sperm count, then these might be the reasons for it. Here are they,
- Surgeries, sexually transmitted infections, trauma, and genetic conditions like Klinefelter syndrome.
- Chronic diseases such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
- Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can affect sperm count.
- Structural problems such as varicocele, undescended testicles, and testicular torsion.
- Poor lifestyle choices and medical history of severe infections.
How do you improve your sperm count?
So, you’ve found out that sperm quality is low and experiencing the symptoms are worse and indicate unhealthy sperm. What should men do? Utilize these tips to enhance your sperm count.
Thankfully, you’ve some simple and natural ways to increase sperm count and quality. Therefore, follow them to boost sperm quality.
- Be in the right weight and maintain proper Body Mass Index BMI.
- Add plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your daily diet plan and increase sperm count with food.
- Prevent sexually transmitted infections STIs, limiting sexual partners helps to avoid the spreading of STIs like Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
- Manage stress as it can severely affect the male reproductive system and hormone levels, so practise mindfulness techniques, meditation, and yoga.
- Make sure you move every day and start exercising regularly to improve your antioxidant levels and the quality of your sperm.
- Bid farewell to habits like smoking, alcohol, using drugs, eating processed foods, canned products, and carbonated beverages.
Last Few Words
Good-quality sperm and egg quality are equally important for successful conception, just like the word “better half.” Remember, male infertility factors contribute to half of the infertility issues reported till now.
Thus, adopt healthy lifestyle practices and consult a doctor for personalized plans. If you and your partner face difficulties conceiving, you can choose in vitro fertilization to enter the parenthood phase.
FAQs
Yes. According to the data, even one drop of semen is enough to make your woman pregnant. As per the theory, one single healthy sperm is sufficient to fertilize an egg and have a successful pregnancy.
Normal semen is clear, grey, or white in colour. Its jelly-like texture is considered healthy, and its quality is good. Changes in consistency are possible, but if they are not due to infection, they will be temporary.
Yes, because one ml of healthy semen contains 150 million sperm. And the typical semen ejaculation amount is around 2 to 6 millilitres. In that case, 2ml of the healthy semen sample is more than enough to make a woman conceive.
