The health of sperm is crucial for men, especially those who have not yet fathered children. Abnormalities in sperm can lead to male infertility, fetal malformations, and other adverse conditions. Therefore, it is advisable for men preparing for marriage or those in the period of preparation for pregnancy to undergo routine sperm tests at hospitals to understand the health status of their sperm. The tests include semen volume, color, viscosity, pH level, odor, sperm count, and other items. The specific standards are as follows:

Semen Volume

Normal semen volume for ejaculation is 2 to 5 ml. Less than 1 ml is considered abnormal. Semen volume of less than 0.5 ml indicates oligospermia, and no semen indicates azoospermia. Azoospermia and oligospermia are the main causes of male infertility, which can be due to prostate or seminal vesicle pathology, congenital ureteral occlusion or inflammatory stenosis, or retrograde ejaculation.

Color

Normal semen is grayish-white. It may appear yellowish, milky white, or slightly greenish if ejaculation has been infrequent, indicating infection in the reproductive tract or accessory glands. Reddish semen (hematospermia) can be seen in cases of seminal vesicle inflammation, cancer, or tuberculosis.

Viscosity

Normal fresh semen is liquid and quickly becomes viscous and gelatinous after ejaculation. It returns to a liquid state after 5 to 30 minutes. If it remains viscous after 30 minutes, it is considered abnormal. This can be due to a lack or insufficiency of certain enzymes secreted by the prostate, reproductive system tuberculosis, or other factors that can affect fertility.

pH Level

Normal semen is weakly alkaline with a pH level between 7.7 and 8.5. Excessively acidic or alkaline semen can affect sperm motility and metabolism, which is a major cause of sperm death (necrospermia).

Odor

Normal semen has a specific fishy odor emitted by prostatic fluid. This odor originates from certain components of prostatic fluid.

Sperm Count

Men with normal fertility have a sperm count of 0.6 to 1.5 billion per milliliter of semen, sometimes reaching up to 2 billion. The total number of sperm ejaculated during a single ejaculation is approximately over 300 million, but there can be significant variations in sperm content, which may differ between individuals and even within the same individual at different times. Therefore, calculating the total number of sperm ejaculated during each ejaculation provides more diagnostic value than simply checking the sperm count alone.