Normal healthy sperm ranges in color from a transparent to a grayish white, while unhealthy sperm can often appear yellow-green or off-white. Additionally healthy sperm typically has a smooth oval shape, whereas unhealthy sperm may be curved or have abnormal shapes.
Normal sperm have an oval head with a long tail. Abnormal sperm have head or tail defects — such as a large or misshapen head or a crooked or double tail. These defects might affect the ability of the sperm to reach and penetrate an egg. However, having a large percentage of misshapen sperm isn't uncommon.
Sperm health depends on various factors, including quantity, movement and structure: Quantity. Fertility is most likely if the semen discharged in a single ejaculation (ejaculate) contains at least 15 million sperm per milliliter.
Causes of male infertility
Abnormal sperm production or function due to undescended testicles, genetic defects, health problems such as diabetes, or infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, mumps or HIV. Enlarged veins in the testes (varicocele) also can affect the quality of sperm.
Some at-home tests also check how well sperm can move. For a home sperm test, you collect a semen sample by ejaculating into a small cup. A home sperm test may be appealing because you can do it in the privacy of your own home. Results are often ready within a few minutes.
A trained expert checks your sperm count, their shape, movement, and other characteristics. In general, if you have a higher number of normal-shaped sperm, it means you have higher fertility. But there are plenty of exceptions to this. A lot of guys with low sperm counts or abnormal semen are still fertile.
Some studies suggest that moderate ejaculation (2–4 times per week) is associated with a lower prostate cancer risk. However, ejaculating more often doesn't mean your cancer risk drops even more.
Semen has a faint smell that varies from person to person. Lasting changes to the smell of semen can be a sign of an underlying medical condition. For example, a strong foul or fishy smell can be a sign of infection or a sexually transmitted condition.
There's no need to stress — this phenomenon isn't as sticky as it might seem. Chunky or clumpy semen is normal and probably isn't a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Semen (a.k.a. cum, ejaculate) can vary in texture, odor, color, and taste.
As men get older it is also usual for their semen to become slightly thinner with less volume being produced at ejaculation. It is therefore quite normal if there appear to be clumps of jelly-like globules in your semen and there is nothing to worry about here.
Usually, each millilitre of semen contains millions of spermatozoa (sperm), but the majority of the volume consists of secretions of the glands in the male reproductive organs. It is quite normal for semen to form jelly-like globules and this does not indicate any health or fertility problem.
Dehydration. If the body is not properly hydrated, there may be less water in the semen, causing it to be thick or chunky. Anyone who wonders whether the thickness of their semen results from a health issue should drink plenty of water and see whether this resolves the issue.
People who choose not to ejaculate are unlikely to experience harmful side effects. The body breaks down unused sperm, which does not build up to trigger further problems. Over time, not ejaculating can trigger psychological problems.
Signs and symptoms you may notice include: Problems with sexual function — for example, difficulty with ejaculation or small volumes of fluid ejaculated, reduced sexual desire, or difficulty maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) Pain, swelling or a lump in the testicle area. Recurrent respiratory infections.
Men start losing their fertility at age 40.
In a study of more than 1,900 couples, irrespective of the woman's age, IVF attempts involving men 40 or older failed 70 percent more often than IVF attempts involving men younger than 30. Previous theory: Older men produce fewer kids because they get less sex.
The concentration of sperm is what makes the semen cloudy and thick, so if your ejaculate is watery it is possible that you have a low sperm count. This doesn't mean you're infertile (so precautions to prevent pregnancy still need to be taken for couples that don't want to get pregnant).
The answer is yes. Men with no sperm in their ejaculate, who likely have a problem with sperm production can achieve pregnancy. All this is possible thanks to modern assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF and ICSI.
Healthy semen is a cloudy white color with a jelly consistency similar to a raw egg. Slight changes in semen color, texture, and even smell might be normal and should no pose concern. In some cases, semen color changes could be a sign of an underlying issue.
Medication can treat some issues that affect male fertility, including hormone imbalances and erectile dysfunction. Surgery can be effective for repairing blockages in the tubes that transport sperm. Surgery can also be used for repair of varicocele.
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking certain medications can lower sperm numbers. Other causes of low sperm numbers include long-term sickness (such as kidney failure), childhood infections (such as mumps), and chromosome or hormone problems (such as low testosterone).