If a couple is planning for pregnancy they might be concerned about the health of sperms, as the male partner is equally responsible in cases of infertility. This is a common misbelief that infertility reason lies in female only or mostly, but the fact is a percentage for both male and female causes of infertility are the same.

This article will help you understand the factors that can affect the health of sperms and what all can be done to improve the health of sperms especially in cases of low sperm count.

What is a healthy sperm?

Sperm health is not determined by a single factor it is dependent on various factors including quantity of sperms, their ability to move, and the structure of sperms.

There is an organisation known to everyone called WHO (World Health Organisation) which sets parameters that need to be followed all over the world. What does this organisation says about the sperm health? it is considered normal if

1. Quantity : >15 million per ml
2. Movement : 32% of sperms are moving
3. Structure (morphology) : 4% are structurally normal.

Quantity : A male is most likely to be fertile if the semen has 15 million sperms per ml. If too little count of sperms is there in the semen it might be difficult to give pregnancy because there are few candidates available to fertilise the egg.

Movement : Sperms are released in the vagina and they have to travel a long distance to reach and fertilise the egg in the fallopian tubes. They wriggle and swim through the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes to get close to the egg. This is called motility and a male is most likely fertile if his 32% of total sperms are motile.

Blog Read : How to Increase Sperm Count Quality Naturally?

Structure (morphology) : A sperm has a head, neck, and tail. Normally the heads are over and tails are long which together work as a unit to propel them. Nature has created millions of sperms to meet and fertilize one single egg. This competition is so tough because naturally, a large percentage of sperms are structurally abnormal. It can have a head effect, neck, or tail defect. The more sperms you have with the normal shape and structure, the more likely you are to be fertile.

What causes male fertility problems?
• Hypothalamus and pituitary gland: these are the parts of the brain that have hormonal control of the testis to produce male hormone (testosterone) and sperms.
• Testicular disease
• Diseases in the transport system which carries sperms from testis to the outside world.