Patient's question:
I have been married to my partner for many years, but we have never had our own children. After checking at the hospital, they said there was no problem with my partner, but it was my issue. They said my semen test results were abnormal. What should I do?Doctor's answer:
Generally speaking, the amount of semen expelled by a healthy adult male varies depending on the duration of abstinence. The longer the period of abstinence, the more sperm are stored in the body. Although the epididymal microenvironment is conducive to sperm maturation and survival, sperm cannot survive indefinitely; they gradually age and lose vitality. With prolonged abstinence, the volume of semen can reach up to 10 milliliters in some cases, while frequent ejaculation may result in only a few drops.How can you determine whether semen is normal? First, consider its color. Normal semen is grayish-white and viscous, resembling egg white. If abstinence has been prolonged and ejaculation has not occurred, it may appear slightly yellow. Freshly expelled semen is highly viscous but will completely liquefy within half an hour. If the viscosity of newly expelled semen is low, this is abnormal, often indicating a lower number of sperm present.
Normal semen is weakly alkaline, with a pH of approximately 7.5. Values below pH 7.2 are considered abnormal.
How can you determine whether semen is normal? Next, consider the quantity and quality of the semen, i.e., how much semen is expelled and the quality of the sperm. Generally, normal semen volume is about 2–6 milliliters, with an average of 3–4 milliliters. The normal concentration of sperm in semen is approximately 100–150 million per milliliter. If the concentration is less than 60 million per milliliter, this is considered abnormal. However, it is not advisable to conclude infertility solely based on this, as infertility is often caused by multiple factors.
In normal semen, approximately 85–90% of sperm are actively motile, with the minimum proportion not falling below 60%. Abnormal sperm (non-motile or dead sperm) should not exceed 15–20%.