Sperm health
Sperm count
Total sperm number is the count in the whole ejaculate. The WHO lower reference limit used by NICE is 39 million, and it is not a fertility score.
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Short answer
On a WHO semen analysis, total sperm number is the count of sperm in the whole ejaculate. The lower reference limit is 39 million. “Sperm count” in ordinary speech sometimes means this figure and sometimes means concentration. Read the unit on your report before comparing it with anything.
Key takeaways
- 39 million or more per ejaculate is within the current reference range.
- Total sperm number is approximately concentration × volume.
- A low total with a normal concentration can be a volume problem, including a spilled sample.
- One low count is repeated. It is not a final label.
| Measurement | Reference value | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Semen volume | 1.4 ml or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Sperm concentration | 16 million/ml or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Total sperm number | 39 million or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Total motility | 42 % or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Progressive motility | 30 % or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Vitality | 54 % or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
| Normal morphology | 4 % or more | Within the current reference range at or above this value |
NICE also cites semen pH of 7.2 or more. These are lower reference limits, not a fertility diagnosis.
What the number is
If concentration is 20 million per ml and volume is 2 ml, total sperm number is about 40 million. That sits just above the 39 million lower reference limit even though neither input looks dramatic. The reverse happens too: 10 million per ml in 5 ml is 50 million in total, above the total-number limit, while concentration is below 16 million per ml. Both lines matter. Concentration has its own page so the two are not collapsed.
Below 39 million
Below the current reference value means the total is under the 5th-centile figure NICE cites. It does not mean no chance of pregnancy. The NHS describes a low sperm count as something that can make conception harder and may still allow it. NICE’s usual next step after an abnormal analysis is a confirmatory test about three months later, unless the finding is azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia, which is repeated sooner.
What moves the count around
Abstinence, a missed portion of the sample, a recent fever, and medicines that suppress sperm production — notably testosterone and anabolic steroids — can all change the number. Heat, smoking and heavy alcohol intake are discussed on the lifestyle pages. They are associations and clinical cautions, not switches that guarantee a higher count.
Questions
Is 15 million per ml a low sperm count?
15 million per ml is a concentration, not a total count. It is below the current 16 million per ml reference value. The older WHO manual used 15 million per ml. NICE NG257 uses the later WHO figures, so SemenBoost does too.
Related
Sources
- WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, 6th edition — World Health Organization, 2021
- Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (NG257) — NICE, 2026
- Low sperm count — NHS
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility in Men: AUA/ASRM Guideline (amended 2024) — American Urological Association, 2024
How this page was prepared
Drafted with automated research assistance and checked against the cited primary sources. A named clinician has not reviewed this page. Medical review is pending. Changes to reference values are not published automatically.