Post Date November, 17 2024
Question: Male, 26 years old, married. I plan to have a baby with my wife recently. How can I tell if semen is healthy and what specific methods are there? How can we improve the quality of semen?
Expert answer: In medicine, there are several conditions for determining whether male semen is normal. If you plan to have a baby, it is best for couples to undergo a medical examination first.
1. Check the motility of sperm
≥ 50% of sperm move forward rapidly in a straight line.
2. Look at the color of semen
Normally, it is gray white or slightly yellow. Milk white or yellow green indicates inflammation of the reproductive tract or accessory gonads; Pink, red, and microscopic appearance of red blood cells are bloody semen, commonly seen in inflammation of the accessory glands and posterior urethra, and occasionally seen in tuberculosis or tumors.
3. Check the viscosity of semen
Contact the glass rod with liquefied semen and gently lift it to form semen filaments, which are normally less than 2cm in length.
4. Look at its liquefaction time
After normal semen is ejaculated, it becomes gelatinous under the action of seminal vesicle coagulase, and after 15 to 30 minutes, it becomes liquid under the action of prostate liquefaction enzyme, which is semen liquefaction. It is abnormal for semen to remain non liquefied 30 minutes after ejaculation.
5. Looking at a man's semen volume
Normal ≥ 2ml. When the volume is greater than 7ml, it is excessive. Not only does the sperm density decrease, but it is also easy to flow out of the vagina, resulting in a decrease in the total number of sperm, commonly seen in seminal vesiculitis; Less than 2ml indicates insufficient semen volume, but usually less than 1ml indicates insufficient semen volume. At this point, the contact area between the semen and the female reproductive tract is small, or the viscosity is not conducive to sperm entering the female cervix, leading to infertility. This is commonly seen in severe inflammation of the accessory glands, low testosterone levels, ejaculatory duct obstruction, retrograde ejaculation, etc.
6. Sperm count
Generally expressed as the number of sperm per milliliter of semen. Normal count ≥ 20 × 106/ml. Below this value, there is too little sperm, which can be seen in various reasons such as spermatogenic dysfunction. It can lead to low fertility or infertility due to a reduced chance of sperm entering the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. If the sperm count is greater than 250 × 106/ml indicates excessive sperm count, which can also lead to infertility due to its impaired motility.
7. Look at the morphology of sperm
Normal sperm morphology ≥ 50%, otherwise it can cause infertility.
8. Testing the acidity and alkalinity of semen
The normal pH value of semen is 72-78. Less than 72 can be seen in ejaculatory duct obstruction or urine contamination; Greater than 78 can be seen in seminal vesicle inflammation or outdated specimens.
After the above testing and identification, the quality of men's semen can be determined. If a couple decides to have a baby, they should go to a regular hospital for various tests.
Men pay attention to their lifestyle and produce high-quality sperm:
1. Do not take saunas, steam baths, or hot baths because sperm are afraid of high temperatures.
2. Don't wear tight underwear or jeans, or because sperm are afraid of high temperatures.
3. Sleeping naked makes sperm feel comfortable, cool, and energetic.
4. Abandon bad habits such as irregular sleep patterns, smoking, drinking, etc. Eat more foods rich in zinc, as zinc has the function of nourishing essence and strengthening yang. Among them, plant foods mainly include beans, peanuts, millet, radish, Chinese cabbage, etc; Oysters are the best animal foods, followed by beef, chicken liver, eggs, lamb, pork, etc.
