Around 10% of couples face trouble conceiving, and male infertility plays a role in up to 50% of these cases. Maybe you and your partner have been trying for a while without success, or perhaps you want to be proactive about your reproductive health. Either way, consider an initial sperm test to analyze your semen sample and evaluate basic markers of male fertility, including sperm concentration and semen volume.
But what do you do if your at-home sperm test shows a lower-than-normal sperm concentration? Here’s what you need to know.
First, what is a low sperm count?
There are many different factors you can measure to evaluate male fertility, from sperm motility (functional measures of how many sperm are moving and how well they are moving) to sperm morphology (the size and shape of sperm). Sperm count refers to the total number of sperm in the entire ejaculate, while sperm concentration is the number of sperm per unit volume of semen.
Labcorp OnDemand’s Men’s Rapid Fertility Test allows you to assess two key components in male fertility:
- Sperm concentration: The number of sperm per milliliter of semen
- Semen volume: The amount of semen produced during one ejaculation
A low sperm count (technically known as oligospermia) means your semen has fewer sperm than average. As you might have correctly guessed, the lower your sperm concentration, the lower your odds of conceiving naturally.
On average, sperm concentrations range from about 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen. If you have fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter, or less than 39 million sperm total per ejaculate, you are considered to have a low sperm count.
If you’re using Labcorp OnDemand’s Men’s Rapid Fertility Test, check out our owner’s guide to learn more about how it works.
What causes low sperm count?
Low sperm counts can result from a variety of lifestyle, health and genetic factors. Some of the most common causes of low sperm count include:
- Existing health conditions: Some medical conditions—such as diabetes, obesity and hormone imbalances can affect reproductive health and sperm production
- Medications: Certain prescription drugs (such as testosterone replacement therapy, chemotherapy, some antifungal and antibiotic medications) may impact sperm production
- Lifestyle factors: Excessive alcohol use, smoking, stress and drug use can all negatively impact sperm health
- Environmental toxins: Prolonged exposure to pesticides, certain industrial chemicals, radiation and heavy metals may reduce sperm production
- Genetics: Some inherited genetic disorders (e.g., Klinefelter’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis) can affect male reproductive organs and cause low sperm count
In many cases, the reason for low sperm count is unknown or difficult to identify. Your healthcare provider can help investigate potential causes if needed.
Regardless of the cause, having a low sperm count does not necessarily make you infertile.
What should you do if your sperm count is low?
If your at-home sperm test suggests a low sperm concentration, it’s important to remember you may have more control over your fertility than you realize, says Dr. Nicola Sing, a family physician.
“Fertility isn’t static; it can often fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, some of which you can control,” explains Dr. Sing. “Lifestyle modifications may have the potential to positively impact sperm production. So, it’s reasonable to make some health-conscious changes and consider retesting a few months later to see if those changes are having the desired effect.”
If you have concerns about your initial sperm testing results, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to review your full health history and consider a complete semen analysis, along with any other tests needed to investigate the cause.
Treatment will depend on the severity of the problem and the underlying reason. Options may include:
- Lifestyle changes: Your healthcare provider may recommend changes like quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, managing stress or losing weight
- Fertility medication: Drugs like clomiphene citrate and tamoxifen citrate may be recommended to help stimulate sperm production
- Surgery: Certain procedures can address issues like varicoceles (enlarged veins around the testes), which may improve sperm health
- Assisted reproductive technology (ART): ART treatments entail collecting sperm (through normal ejaculation, surgical extraction or from a donor) and inserting it into the female genital tract, or using it for a procedure like in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which the sperm fertilizes an egg in the laboratory to create an embryo. A specific type of IVF called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) involves direct injection of the selected sperm into the egg to achieve fertilization
Bottom line: Catching and addressing issues with low sperm count early can make a big difference in your reproductive journey.
While a full semen analysis with your healthcare provider can provide more detailed information if needed, you can take the first helpful step in getting answers with an at-home sperm test.
Ready to take that first step? Learn more about Labcorp OnDemand’s Men’s Rapid Fertility Test.
