Fertility · 5 min read

Semen analysis: how to read the report

When a couple has difficulty conceiving, a male factor is part of the picture for many of them. A semen analysis is simple, painless and inexpensive, and it should be done early — at the same time as the woman's tests, not after them.

Giving the sample

The sample is usually collected after two to seven days without ejaculation, into a sterile container, ideally at the lab. If collected at home it should reach the lab within an hour, kept at body temperature. Tell the lab if any of the sample was lost.

The main values

The World Health Organization publishes lower reference limits — values below which a result is considered low. In its current (2021) manual these are approximately: volume 1.4 mL, concentration 16 million per mL, total count 39 million per ejaculate, total motility 42 per cent, progressive motility 30 per cent, and normal forms (morphology) 4 per cent.

These are not pass marks. Men with values below them father children, and men above them can still have fertility problems. They tell the doctor where to look.

Why one report is not enough

Semen quality varies from week to week with illness, fever, stress and the abstinence period. If a value is low, the test is normally repeated after a few weeks before anything is concluded.

What can affect the result

Smoking, heavy alcohol use, high body weight, heat exposure, some medicines, anabolic steroids and recent fever can all lower the numbers. Some of these improve when the cause is removed, although sperm take around three months to develop, so changes take time to show.

If the result stays low

The next step is an examination and, depending on the findings, hormone tests or a scan. Treatment depends on the cause. Where sperm numbers or movement are very low, ICSI — injecting a single sperm into each egg in the lab — was developed for exactly this situation.

Written and reviewed by Dr. Hardik Vansjaliya, M.S. (Obs & Gynaec), D.M.A.S., F.M.A.S., Fellow in IVF, M.B.A. (Healthcare), Gujarat Medical Council Reg. G/24936. Published 2026-10-05. Last checked 2026-10-05.

This article is general information, not medical advice about your own situation. If something here applies to you, come and talk to us.