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What is Normal?

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The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy gives the following guidance on what is generally considered a measure of acceptable fertility after the ejaculate has liquefied for 20 to 30 minutes.

• Ejaculate volume: 2 to 6 mL
• Viscosity: liquefies within 1 hour
• Gross and microscopic appearance: semen should be opaque or cream colored
• Sperm count: greater than 20 million per mL
• Sperm motility at 1 and 3 hours: greater than 50%
• Sperm morphology: more than 60% are normal

Does this mean that if your numbers are below these levels you cannot get pregnant? Of course not. It only takes one. For example, I have heard of a couple getting pregnant with 7% motility. These numbers represent what is generally considered adequate for a man to be fertile.

Bear in mind that a man's fertility can fluctuate a great deal from week to week. Lots of things affect male fertility. If your fertility is low you should have at least three semen analyses before reaching any conclusions.

It is important that semen analysis be done soon after ejaculating and that the sample be kept warm. Semen analysis is done by people. People get busy. People make mistakes. Do not be too disheartened by a single result.