{"id":2167,"date":"2019-01-04T22:59:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T22:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/?p=1470"},"modified":"2026-02-05T19:12:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:12:33","slug":"semen-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/semen-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO Normal Reference Ranges for Semen Quality"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"99c380e4b4a7b96c35d7ddf7dcb434e8\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- MC 2019- Horizontal -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0127150553352455\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3806776041\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Semen analysis is the most important investigation of male\u00a0subfertility. This is not a test for fertility but a guide for\u00a0minimal standards of adequacy. What constitutes a \u2018normal\u2019\u00a0result has been a matter of debate, and recently the WHO\u00a0normal ranges for semen parameters have changed.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>World Health Organization reference limits for semen parameters<\/strong><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Parameter<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Reference limit<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">95% confidence<br \/>\ninterval<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Semen volume (ml)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1.5<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1.4\u20131.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sperm concentration (10<span style=\"font-size: 10px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; bottom: 1ex;\">6<\/span>\/ml)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">15.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">12\u201316<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total number (10<span style=\"font-size: 10px; height: 0px; line-height: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; bottom: 1ex;\">6<\/span>\/ejaculate)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">39.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">33\u201346<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Total motility (PR+NP,%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">40.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">38\u201342<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Progressive motility (PR,%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">32.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">31\u201334<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Normal forms (%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">4.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">3.0\u20134.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Vitality (%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">58.0<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">55\u201363<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>NP = non-progressive motility; PR = progressive motility<\/p>\n<p>Other consensus threshold values<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\" border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">pH<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">\u2265 7.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">Peroxidase-positive leukocytes\u00a0(10<sup>6<\/sup> per mL)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">&lt; 1.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">MAR test (motile spermatozoa with\u00a0bound particles, %)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">&lt; 50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">Immunobead test (motile spermatozoa\u00a0with bound beads, %)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">&lt; 50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">Seminal zinc (\u03bcmol\/ejaculate)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">\u2265 2.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">Seminal fructose (\u03bcmol\/ejaculate)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">\u2265 13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 426px;\">Seminal neutral glucosidase\u00a0(mU\/ejaculate)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; width: 138px;\">\u2265 20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0127150553352455\" data-ad-slot=\"7834404329\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>References:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Bj\u00f6rndahl L, Kirkman Brown J; other Editorial Board Members of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen. The sixth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen: ensuring quality and standardization in basic examination of human ejaculates. Fertil Steril. 2022 Feb;117(2):246-251. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34986984\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[Medline]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Barratt CLR, Bj\u00f6rndahl L, De Jonge CJ, Lamb DJ, Osorio Martini F, McLachlan R, Oates RD, van der Poel S, St John B, Sigman M, Sokol R, Tournaye H. The diagnosis of male infertility: an analysis of the evidence to support the development of global WHO guidance-challenges and future research opportunities.\u00a0Hum Reprod Update. 2017 Nov 1;23(6):660-680.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28981651\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[Medline]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gatimel N, Moreau J, Parinaud J, L\u00e9andri RD. Sperm morphology: assessment, pathophysiology, clinical relevance, and state of the art in 2017.\u00a0Andrology. 2017 Sep;5(5):845-862.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28692759\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[Medline]<\/a><\/li>\n<li>WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen. Fifth edition. 2010 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240030787\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">[Full Text]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Created Jan 02, 2019.<br \/>\nUp-date Feb 5, 2026.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sorry, this entry is only available in Espa\u00f1ol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[298],"tags":[309,308,305,307,302,300,303,299,304,301,306],"class_list":["post-2167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urology","tag-calidad","tag-normal","tag-normales","tag-oms","tag-quality","tag-ranges","tag-rangos","tag-reference","tag-referencia","tag-semen","tag-who"],"modified_by":"Guillermo Firman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2167"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10639,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2167\/revisions\/10639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicalcriteria.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}