Total sperm count
What this test measures
The total number of sperm in the whole ejaculate, from volume multiplied by concentration. Semen analysis is interpreted as a whole by the fertility team, using WHO reference limits that describe the lower 5 percent of men who fathered a child within a year. A single sample below a limit is repeated after two to three months, because production varies a great deal and takes about ten weeks.
Why doctors request it
Part of every semen analysis, requested in fertility clinics and after vasectomy (where the aim is no sperm at all).
What commonly pushes it up
- A longer gap since the last ejaculation
What commonly pushes it down
- The same causes as a low concentration
- An incomplete collection
Everyday reasons for a value outside the range
- Production varies a great deal between samples from the same man
- Abstinence of less than two or more than seven days changes the result
- A sample that reaches the lab late reads poorly
About the sample
Two to seven days of abstinence, collected into the lab pot, delivered within an hour and kept at body temperature.
Upload a photo or PDF and see every line against the range your lab printed, explained in plain English. First report free.
Read my report freeThis is an educational summary of results you uploaded. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it does not replace the doctor who requested the test. If you are worried, or a result is marked outside range, discuss it with your doctor. Written and reviewed by a UK consultant physician. Reference ranges vary between laboratories.