Things you have to know about sperm
The most important role in the act of conception is played by the semen- a white, grey or yellow liquid secreted by the sexual glands. It contains spermatozoa and it is discharged by the urethra during a process called ejaculation. Semen consists of two parts- a cellular part (spermatozoa and sometimes leucocytes and epithelial cells) and a noncellular one (plasma). The only function of semen is reproductive- carrying the spermatozoa into the female reproductive system.
Immediately after ejaculation, it clots and forms a stocky liquid that liquefy again in a period between 5 and 40 minutes. Besides sperm, semen contains water, sugars, alkalies, prostaglandins, vitamin C, zinc, cholesterol and another substances.
A normal, healthy, fertile sperm should present:
- at least 20 million spermatozoa per ml
- at least 2 ml total volume of semen
- at least 75% alive spermatozoa
- at least 30% healthy and in normal shape and size spermatozoa
- at least 25% good swimming spermatozoa
A man’s body manufactures 400 billiards sperm in his entire life.
In union with a woman’s egg, it create the human embryo, but sometimes this thing is not possible.
The most common reason of male infertility is the incapacity of producing the minim number of healthy spermatozoa, but it can also be caused by problems in delivering sperm or inhibited or retrograde ejaculation, or by the sperm’ s failure in penetrating and fertilizing the egg.
Another problems in fertility can be also made by a low testosterone level or by sperm’s antibodies. Those are considered very serious problems and require medical testes.