In approximately half of the couples who attend sexologist clinic in Delhi because they do not achieve pregnancy, the problem of infertility is male and in most cases as a result of poor quality seminal. This is determined from several parameters:
- The volume of semen: it is normal to produce between 2 and 5 milliliters per ejaculation. Taking into account that with the number of ejaculations the volume is reduced and this increases according to the time of previous sexual abstinence, systematic values below and above those mentioned are indicative of problems that may affect fertility.
- It’s viscosity
- The way it thickens and then becomes liquid.
- The acidity (Ph) and fructose content of the liquid. Citric acid and fructose indicate the secretory capacity of the prostate and seminal vesicles. The normal levels of both substances are above 52 and 13 micromoles, respectively.
- Sperm concentration
- Motility of sperm.
- Form of sperm.
- Fragmentation of the DNA of the sperm.
Keep in mind that the semen that is expelled in each ejaculation is made up of the secretions of different glands and only 5% comes from the testicles, where the sperm are produced from the germ cells and a very testosterone-rich fluid that allows the first to pass through the epididymis before passing to semen. The rest is produced in the seminal vesicles, the prostate, and the bulbourethral and urethral glands.
Once together, the different components make the semen have a viscous appearance, of sticky texture and of white or grayish color (sometimes it may seem slightly yellowish) components of the semen.
The issue is that the seminal quality can be affected by multiple factors, such as certain diseases (such as varicocele), the use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol, the use of certain drugs, environmental factors such as exposure to toxic substances or ionizing radiation, sexually transmitted infections, fever, work in environments with high temperatures, etc.
Normal seminal quality
You can come to surprise the amount of dead and abnormal sperm in each sample of semen. But, in any case, the seminal quality is considered normal when the following criteria are met:
- The total volume of semen should be between 1.5 and 5 milliliters.
- The concentration of sperm must be at least 20 million per milliliter of semen (may reach 150 million).
- At least 75% of the sperm must be alive.
- 30% of them must be well trained.
- 25% have to move forward with a rapid movement and 50% must go forward even if slowly.
All these values, as well as those of the Ph and the fructose concentration and those relative to the viscosity and the subsequent liquefying, can be determined by means of the realization of a seminogram or spermiogram.
