What is the average male sperm count

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Once mature, they travel from the testes through a network of tubes that propel them out of the penis during ejaculation, picking up enzymes and other ingredients of semen along the way.

When doctors test sperm quality, through a semen analysis, there are a few important measures they look at:. Turek said studies on semen quality in the same man can look percent different sample to sample.

Some of this is because of human bias. For example, morphology is a more controversial predictor of fertility, in part because the people reading samples can have varying views on the proportion of abnormally shaped sperm.

More on this later. In the Human Reproduction Update paper — a systematic review and meta-analysis — researchers at Hebrew University and Mount Sinai medical school brought together data from studies on sperm samples collected between and In the early s, men had, on average, 99 million sperm per milliliter of semen. By , that number had dropped to 47 million per milliliter.

The meta-analysis was also based on older studies done in different countries and labs. Still, even critics like Turek, who disagree with the dramatic slope of the decline in that paper, believe it signals a trend. Smoking, stress, sedentary lifestyles, and alcohol and drug use are all also implicated. Think about it. Much of the food we eat and the everyday objects we use these days are stored in or made using plastics, which contain man-made chemicals. These chemicals are also present in our creams and cosmetics, our household cleaning products, and our drugs and medical devices.

They leach into our food and water, into the environment, and into our bodies. Most are thought to be harmless. Specifically, chemicals like BPA, BPS, and phthalates are known to mimic hormones like estrogen, interfere with important hormone pathways in the thyroid gland, and inhibit the effects of testosterone.

In men, a shorter AGD has been associated with poorer semen quality, less testosterone, and a higher risk of infertility.

Separately, a March study found exposure to phthalates and polychlorinated biphenyl — again, two ingredients found in plastics — damaged the quality of sperm exposed to the chemicals. A couple is diagnosed with infertility after one year of unprotected sex. In the US , between 12 and 15 percent of couples are unable to conceive at that point. About a third of the time, the problem is with the man.

But even if the numbers were getting worse, we have to keep in mind that couples are waiting longer to get pregnant, and older age is associated with a higher risk of infertility. In , the National Institutes of Health brought together researchers from around the world to discuss the question. Importantly, they differentiated between fertility how many kids people have and fecundity how many they are capable of having.

Fertility rates have fallen dramatically over the past half-century, but they are heavily influenced by social factors: changes in working patterns, access to birth control, wars, the economy, etc. Fecundity, on the other hand, is not. And the researchers determined that the question of whether fecundity is changing is currently unanswerable based on current data.

Again, even the study suggests men still have well-above-normal sperm counts on average. Because semen analysis results can vary over time, your male fertility specialist in Los Angeles may wish to repeat the testing to get complete, accurate information about abnormal sperm counts or any other male factor that could contribute to infertility.

These comprehensive tests measure several factors related to the quality, quantity and movement of sperm, and can indicate whether the male reproductive system is functioning normally. Depending on the findings of your semen analysis, additional tests may be ordered, such as:. Depending on test results, some men with abnormal sperm counts may need to see a urologist for further testing and evaluation. To learn more about abnormal sperm counts or to schedule an appointment with a male fertility specialist in Los Angeles, contact us.

Richard J. I have one thing to say about USC Fertility. Abnormal Sperm Counts.