Total Sperm Count per Ejaculate
Fertility marker
Total Sperm Count
Total Sperm Count per Ejaculate
Sperm concentration multiplied by semen volume, giving the total number of sperm in the whole ejaculate. WHO lower reference limit is 39 million.
PED Notes
Often a better measure than concentration alone, because concentration is diluted or concentrated by whatever volume the accessory glands happened to produce that day. A man with a low concentration but a large volume can have a perfectly normal total count. On suppressive compounds this falls along with concentration and is one of the clearest numbers to track through recovery, since it captures both the volume and concentration effects in a single figure.
When low
A low total count reflects either low concentration, low volume, or both, so read it alongside Sperm Concentration and Semen Volume rather than on its own.
On-cycle context: expected to fall on suppressive compounds and to recover over months rather than weeks. See Semen Volume for the full recovery protocol.
Collection matters: an incomplete sample, particularly losing the first fraction which carries most of the sperm, produces an artificially low count. If any of the sample was lost, note it and repeat.
History Chart
Reading History
Frequently Asked Questions
Reference Ranges
Standard Range
Not available