Question

In 1940 the average sperm count per ejaculation was estimated to be 113 million/ml with a normal ejaculate volume equaling 3.40 ml. In 1990 this average had decreased to 66 million sperm/ml of ejaculate. That's almost a 50% reduction! During this time the amount of ejaculation had also decreased down to about 2.75ml. In 2010 it is estimated that the total ejaculation amount is approximately 1.5ml, with the sperm counts being down to 60 million in the average male, and in 15-20% of young males, the sperm count is below 20 million.

1. What is the minimum amount of sperm per volume to be considered fertile?

2. Propose (research) potential explanations for the steady decline in sperm counts within males. (hint: age, wearing "tighty whities" and nutrition are not valid reasons as that affects individuals. These count drops are impacting the population!)

3. Research potential explanations for the decrease in the volume of semen within males. IS there a link between the decline of sperm and ejaculate? Explain.

4. What impact on fertility do lower ejaculate amounts have?

5. What treatments are available currently to treat infertility due to low sperm counts and low ejaculate levels?

Remember when answering and researching these answers wikipedia, mayo clinic, WebMD are NOT valid sources. This topic is more technical so beware of propaganda sites selling testosterone boosting supplements as that is not valid resources. You really want to find peer-reviewed researched articles in journals. All work must be properly cited. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Answer 1

1	In healthy human adult sperm concentrations more than 20 million spermatozoa per ml are classified as 'normal' (1).
2	Men who are exposed to high temperature at their workplace (welders, dyers, blast furnace workers and those employed in cement and steel factories) are more prone to infertility. This is associated with excess environmental heat which is responsible to increases the temperature of the scrotum, leading to a negative effect on sperm production. A 1°C elevation in testicular temperature is responsible for 14% depression of spermatogenesis. There is also a change in motility and morphology of sperms (2). The sperm concentration in male smokers is nearly 13–17% lower than that of non-smokers. The smoking has been negatively related with sperm count, motility, and morphology. The decline in semen quality is observed more marked in heavy (>20 cigarettes/day) and moderate (10–20 cigarettes/day) smokers compared to mild smokers (1–10 cigarettes/day) (3,4). The intake of alcohol is also associated with male infertility. The production, morphological development and maturation of spermatozoa is altered due to alcohol intake (5). Spermatogenesis appears to gradually decline with increasing levels of alcohol intake. There is a partial or complete spermatogenic arrest (6).
3	A low sperm count decreases the chance to fertilize egg. A longer interval may be required to conceive normally (7).
4	Pseudoephedrine and imipramine are used to promote significant ejaculation. These drugs possess sympathomimetic properties and increase the tone at the bladder neck, and can also stimulate seminal emission. Imipramine can be taken (25 mg orally daily) for 7 days prior to attempted ejaculation, and pseudoephedrine (30 mg orally) may be taken daily or 30 to 60 minutes prior to ejaculation (8).
References	1.        Skakkebaek NE. Normal reference ranges for semen quality and their relations to fecundity. Asian J Androl. 2010;12(1):95. 2.        Sengupta P. Challenge of infertility: How protective the yoga therapy is? Anc Sci Life. 2012;32(1):61. 3.        Sharma R, Harlev A, Agarwal A, Esteves SC. Cigarette smoking and semen quality: a new meta-analysis examining the effect of the 2010 World Health Organization laboratory methods for the examination of human semen. Eur Urol. 2016;70(4):635–45. 4.        Adashi EY, Vine MF, Margolin BH, Morrison HI, Hulka BS. Cigarette smoking and sperm density: a meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 1994;61(1):35–43. 5.        Emanuele MA, Emanuele N V. Alcohol’s effects on male reproduction. Alcohol Health Res World. 1998;22(3):195. 6.        Czech MP. Insulin action and resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Nat Med. 2017;23(7):804–14. 7.        Roberts M, Jarvi K. Steps in the investigation and management of low semen volume in the infertile man. Can Urol Assoc J. 2009;3(6):479. 8.        Ohl DA, Quallich SA, Sønksen J, Brackett NL, Lynne CM. Anejaculation and retrograde ejaculation. Urol Clin North Am. 2008;35(2):211–20.