What is sperm? Healthy sperm standards

Does sperm refer to a substance that exists in men's semen? Actually not. Scientifically, sperm is divided into two types, one is plant sperm and the other is animal sperm. Men's sperm belongs to animal sperm. I believe many people are very interested in men's sperm. After all, it seems a bit mysterious. So, what is men's sperm? Are there any relevant health standards?

Semen composition

Human male semen is composed of sperm and seminal plasma. Sperm is produced by the testicles, and seminal plasma is secreted by the prostate, seminal vesicles and bulbourethral glands. Semen is an organic substance. Seminal plasma contains fructose and protein, which are nutrients for sperm. It also contains prostaglandins and some enzyme substances.

Normal semen is milky white or light yellow, and the number of sperm per milliliter is generally between 60 million and 200 million. Motile sperm account for more than 60% of the total. Abnormal sperm should be less than 10% of the total. Sperm motility lasts for 3-4 hours at room temperature. In 1990, the World Health Organization determined that 66 million sperm per milliliter was normal in its examination of human semen. The latest 5th edition of the World Health Organization's examination of human semen lowered the standard for sperm density established in 1999 from 20 million per milliliter to 15 million.

Standard sperm

1. Semen volume: The amount of semen per ejaculation is 2~6ml, but it is affected by the frequency and number of ejaculations. If the amount of semen is less than 1ml/time, it is called reduced semen volume, and if the amount of semen is more than 6ml/time, it is called excessive semen volume, which are all abnormal situations.

2. Semen color: Normal semen is transparent grayish white. If the abstinence period is long, it may be light yellow. If there is inflammation in the reproductive tract, the semen may be yellow or even contain blood.

3. Sperm density: Sperm density refers to the number of sperms contained in each milliliter of semen. Normally, the number of sperms per milliliter of semen is more than 20 million. If it is less than 20 million/ml, it is oligospermia, which will affect fertility.

4. Semen liquefaction time: Semen is in a gel state when it is just discharged from the body. It will become a liquid state after 5 to 30 minutes. This process is called liquefaction. The liquefaction of semen requires the participation of a series of proteolytic enzymes. Semen that is viscous and not liquefied. It is common in patients with prostate or seminal vesicle diseases. Semen is weakly alkaline, with a pH value between 7.2 and 7.8. If the pH is <7, it is acidic, and if the pH is >8, it is alkaline, which will restrict sperm function.

5. Sperm 1-hour survival rate: The percentage of active sperm within 1 hour after ejaculation should be no less than 60%.