Updated by the Progyny Clinical Team — August 2025.
Sperm-related infertility, also called male factor infertility, plays a role in up to 50% of fertility problems. To evaluate your sperm, your healthcare provider will recommend a semen analysis as part of an infertility workup.
What’s a semen analysis?
A semen analysis measures the amount and quality of semen and evaluates sperm under a microscope. It typically looks at:
Volume
The normal volume of semen is at least 1.5 milliliters. Low semen volume can happen for a few reasons, including an incomplete sample collection and partial retrograde ejaculation, when some semen flows back into the bladder instead of out through the urethra. In these cases, a second sample is often collected after emptying the bladder.
Patients with both low volume and low sperm concentration may be experiencing testosterone deficiency. Less often, a low volume with either no sperm (azoospermia) or severely low sperm (severe oligospermia) may suggest some sort of obstruction.
Concentration
Normal sperm concentration ranges from 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter. Fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter is considered low. However, sperm count alone doesn’t fully predict fertility. Some people with low counts can conceive naturally, and some with high counts may still have difficulty.
If the sperm count is very low, your provider may recommend genetic testing, such as karyotyping, to look for chromosomal conditions.
Morphology
Morphology refers to sperm shape and structure. Healthy sperm have oval heads and long tails that help them swim. A normal sperm morphology result is 4% or more of sperm having a normal shape.
Motility
Motility describes how well sperm move toward the egg. Experts say the lower limit of normal total motility is 40%. Unless all sperm have poor movement, motility alone is usually not a strong predictor of infertility.
When to visit a reproductive urologist
Your provider will review your results and may suggest repeating the test, since results can change between samples. If the analysis shows possible sperm-related fertility problems, you may be referred to a reproductive urologist for more testing and possible treatment.
Depending on the cause, assisted reproductive technology may be needed. The options to increase the odds of conception include:
- Intrauterine insemination (placing sperm that are living and motile) directly into the uterus)
- In vitro fertilization with an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (injecting a single sperm directly into an egg in the lab)
If you have questions or concerns, Progyny is here for you. Please contact your Progyny Care Advocate for support.
Disclaimer: The information provided by Progyny is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical guidance.