It’s well known that the number and health of your sperm affects your fertility. But were you aware that your semen — the liquid you ejaculate that carries your sperm — can affect your reproductive ability, too?
Hyperspermia is an uncommon condition that involves ejaculating a larger volume of semen than usual. We look into hyperspermia causes, the connection between hyperspermia and fertility, treatment options for hyperspermia, and effective ways to test and preserve your fertility.
Key takeaways
- Hyperspermia is a condition that involves ejaculating an amount of semen that’s higher than the standard range.
- Hyperspermia may impact fertility in some cases by diluting the number of sperm within the larger amount of semen.
- If hyperspermia is affecting your ability to conceive a child, fertility treatments may help.
- Starting with a semen analysis can also help you better understand your fertility.
What is hyperspermia?
Hyperspermia occurs when a person ejaculates higher than typical amounts of semen. Semen is the white fluid released from the penis during an orgasm that contains sperm to fertilize an egg.
A normal semen volume is between 1.5 and 5 ml from one ejaculation. One study from 1995 defined hyperspermia as having a seminal volume of 6.3 ml or higher, while another study defined it as a volume of more than 5 ml. In some cases, ejaculated semen can reach volumes of up to around 12 ml.
The condition is the opposite of hypospermia, which involves low ejaculate volume of under 1.5 ml.
Hyperspermia is relatively rare, with one study of 396 males finding that only 3.53% had the condition. Another study identified hyperspermia in 6.8% of participants. This is much lower than the prevalence of hypospermia, which occurred in 22.22% and 18.3% of the participants in these studies, respectively.
Note that these conditions refer only to semen volume rather than sperm count. You can still have a normal sperm count with hyperspermia or hypospermia. However, there still may be a link between hyperspermia and fertility.
Symptoms of hyperspermia
Symptoms of hyperspermia include ejaculating more fluid than normal. If you notice a persistent increase in your semen volume, you may want to get checked out by a fertility specialist.
You may also have other symptoms, such as infertility and genitourinary infections (though more research is needed to confirm this), or no additional signs of the condition.
What causes hyperspermia?
It’s unclear what exactly causes hyperspermia, and more research is needed in this area.
Semen is made up of sperm, water, mucus, and secretions from glands and organs in your reproductive system, like the prostate, testis, and seminal vesicles. With various parts of your reproductive system contributing to the liquid for semen, an issue with one of them could lead to hyperspermia.
A long period without ejaculating can also lead to your body releasing a higher volume of semen when you do ejaculate again.
How hyperspermia affects fertility
At first, more semen may sound like a good thing for fertility. However, the condition may actually reduce fertility by diluting the amount of sperm compared to the overall quantity of semen, making it harder for sperm to reach the egg and start a pregnancy.
Hyperspermia may potentially be linked to sperm health, too. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Reproduction and Contraception examined sperm parameters in 133 ejaculate samples with hyperspermia. It found that while in most cases the sperm parameters were normal, the sperm count was lower in samples with the highest semen volume (over 7 ml).
Other research from 2012 identified worse sperm motility (movement) in semen samples that exhibited either hyperspermia or hypospermia. The authors suggested that semen volume should be given more consideration as a fertility factor in future studies.
Still, some research found that among 1,037 infertile men, only 0.4% had hyperspermia. On the other hand, 11.2% had hypospermia, which is more likely to be linked to infertility.
Overall, the connection between hyperspermia and fertility is not well understood, and more research is needed to understand the effects of semen volume on reproductive ability.
Trying to conceive with hyperspermia
Hyperspermia is a relatively unusual condition and, based on the limited research currently available, appears to have a low chance of affecting your fertility. Still, it’s possible the condition may make it harder to become pregnant.
If you have hyperspermia and are struggling to conceive a child, fertility treatments may help.
Fertility treatment options for hyperspermia
You may not need treatment if hyperspermia doesn’t affect your reproductive ability. However, fertility treatments may help you conceive, particularly if the issue is related to low sperm concentration.
Specifically, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used to combine your sperm with an egg in a laboratory. With IVF, the sperm is placed in a dish with the egg to fertilize it. With ICSI, the sperm is injected directly into the egg. After a few days, the embryo is implanted into the womb.
Alternatively, intrauterine insemination (IUI) may be used. This procedure involves concentrating the sperm from the semen and injecting it into the uterus to increase the chance of fertilizing an egg. Keep in mind, though, that IUI has a lower success rate than IVF.
At home vs. in-clinic sperm testing
Sperm testing is a simple yet effective way to understand factors that impact your reproductive ability, whether you’re trying to conceive a child naturally or through fertility treatments. Fertility clinics offer in-person sperm testing, but you can also complete the test on your own with Legacy’s convenient at-home semen analysis by ordering the test online, collecting your sperm at home, then mailing it back to the lab. The tests, including Legacy’s at-home analysis, may also be covered by your insurance.
Semen analysis
A semen analysis helps you understand key aspects of your semen and sperm health. It’s a useful test to do whether you’re trying to start a family now, getting ready to freeze your sperm, or establishing baseline numbers for your fertility so you can plan for the future. The analysis, which includes testing for hyperspermia and hypospermia by checking your semen volume, also evaluates your sperm count, concentration, motility, and morphology (sperm shape).
The test won’t specifically tell you whether you’re fertile or infertile, since people with reduced sperm parameters may still be able to conceive a child. Still, it can generally identify 9 out of 10 people who have male infertility, according to research.
The analysis can reveal areas that might be affecting your fertility, such as abnormal semen volume or low sperm count. It may also indicate the presence of medical conditions that could be impacting your ability to conceive. With this knowledge, you’ll be better equipped to take steps to improve your sperm through lifestyle changes, male fertility supplements, and medical treatments where necessary to help boost your fertility.
Sperm freezing
If you’re not yet ready to start a family or are still planning for the future, sperm freezing may be another good option to preserve your fertility. Besides making it possible to freeze your sperm from home, Legacy offers secure, affordable storage plans for various lengths of time — anywhere from monthly to lifetime periods. This helps protect your fertility, giving your sperm the best chance to help you build your family when you’re ready.
