A semen analysis is a series of tests that look at how healthy a mans semen and sperm are. It is used to test for male factor infertility and assess the quality of sperm. The following are the normal or healthy semen analysis results, as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) :
- Volume: Greater than 1.5 milliliters (mL)
- pH, or acidity: 7.2 to 7.8
- Sperm count: 39 million sperm per ejaculate or more
- Sperm concentration: 15 million or more per mL
- Sperm motility: 40% or more actively moving
- Sperm morphology: 4% or more normally shaped
It is important to note that results may vary depending on the lab used, and that having results outside of these ranges does not necessarily mean that a man is infertile. A man with lower sperm counts may still be fertile, while a man with high sperm counts may still be subfertile. It is recommended to have two to three semen analyses obtained over a three-month period prior to making any final conclusion regarding baseline sperm quality or quantity.
