Sperm is classified in terms of count, (how many millions of sperm there are per sample), and quality, including mobility. To promote better sperm production, encourage your partner to wear loose boxer shorts and trousers and take cool showers rather than hot baths. Excessive alcohol intake and smoking are also bad news for healthy sperm production so encourage your partner to cut down or quit altogether if possible.

A normal semen analysis is a pretty good indication of normal male fertility. The one aspect of semen quality which is poorly measured on semen analysis is sperm function. The morphology of the sperm approximately measures the quality of the sperm function. The morphology evaluation is the hardest test to perform correctly in the semen analysis. A normal count, motility and morphology is a good indication of normal male fertility.

IUI can help on Clomid cycles where cervical mucus is a problem, and IUI increases the chance of success on injectible cycles no matter what the sperm count. It does make sense to try IUI if you can and haven't had success with intercourse.

The most common cause of low sperm count is the presence of a varicocele. A varicocele is an abnormal dilation of the veins within the spermatic cord. Treatment for this disorder is surgical, although the sperm counts do not always improve after treatment. Approximately 40% to 50% of the time there is no explanation for low sperm counts.

This question is a very common question without a strong affirmative answer. Heat does reduce sperm production. Some people's sperm production is more susceptible to heat than others. In general, the increase heat associated with tight underwear is less than the heat seen with varicoceles, hot baths, febrile episodes, or high scrotal testes. I recommend boxers because every little bit helps but I do not expect great improvement in sperm count based on underwear type alone.

A.: Sperm require around three months to fully mature. Once you remove the offending condition then three months are needed for a new cycle of sperm to be released. Some men see improvements in their semen analysis sooner if the offending condition is minor. Some men take longer to improve if the size and firmness of their testicles are poor.

Answer: The lower limit of normal sperm count is 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen. Many men with lower sperm counts have initiated pregnancies. The standard for low sperm count was derived from looking at the fertility history of thousands of men and whether they initiated a pregnancy. There was a modest break in fertility potential when the sperm count decreased below 20 million sperm per milliliter.

Besides the number of sperm, the percentage with rapid forward-progressive motility and with normal morphology at the time of insemination are important to know. If this functional sperm count exceeds 1 million, chances for pregnancy with well-timed IUI are excellent. A lead follicle should be at least 16-17 mm when the patient is on urinary gonadotropins for ovulation induction, it should beat least 18 mm on a recombinant FSH , and should be about 22 mm on Clomiphene citrate therapy.

A count above one million washed appears necessary for success, with a significant reduction in pregnancy rates when the inseminated is count is lower than 5-10 million (in other words, in most cases one should consider 5 million a lower limit for success, 10 million for cost-effective). Higher success rates are with washed counts over 20-30 million, while increasing counts over 50 million did not appear to offer advantage.

Sperms live in your body 78 days from the beginning of their development until they are ejaculated. It therefore takes a minimum of four months after surgery, to see significant improvement in semen analysis. Improvement can be seen for up to two years.

That is actually a myth. There is very good evidence that shows that tight jeans and tight underwear, as well as all types of clothing do not have any effect on sperm count. There is really no difference in boxers versus briefs, tight jeans versus loose pants.

A normal platelet count ranges from 155 to 356. Increased platelet counts, up to twice the upper end of normal, frequently occurs in patients with an inflammatory process. Answered by Stephen Erfurth, M.D., Laboratory Testing and Toxicology, Eugene, Oregon Medical Laboratories (3/12/2004) Simply stated, probably not much through diet or exercise. The main thing would be to try and keep your extremities warm under all circumstances. Avoid vasoconstrictive substances such as nicotine.

Frequent and regular use of hot tubs can decrease a man's sperm count. Having said that, it probably should not be used as a method of birth control. Couples that are trying to conceive should probably avoid frequent hot tub use.