Each person has a different semen texture. Through semen evaluation, men's health problems can be diagnosed and treated early. In addition, keeping semen healthy is also extremely important, because it can increase the success rate of conception.
1. Why does semen vary from person to person?
In fact, each man has a distinct semen. This is due to each individual's unique biology, which can significantly influence the color, flavor, and texture of semen.
Changes in semen texture can result from the following factors:
- Physical activity
- The total amount of vitamins in the body. In which vitamin B12 is the most critical factor for semen health.
- Daily Diet
- Alcohol and drug use
The lifestyle factors described above can have a major impact on sperm quality and the natural texture of semen. Even bad habits in men's daily life might cause the body's total testosterone level to decrease.
2. What constitutes healthy semen?
To determine whether your semen is healthy, look for the following characteristics:
- Semen has an alkaline odor, similar to the scent of chlorine or bleach.
- Semen can have a variety of colors, including yellow, gray, and white, depending on the individual.
- Healthy semen has a jelly-like texture, a specific viscosity, and changes into a liquid similar to water after around 30 minutes of ejaculation.
- Usually has a slightly sweet flavor.
If your semen has the majority of the essential criteria listed above, you need not be concerned by its thick texture.
3. The link between semen texture and male fertility.
Thick semen texture is frequently caused by a significant number of improperly shaped sperm or a higher-than-normal sperm count in the male body.
Higher sperm concentrations increase conception rates. Furthermore, the thick texture of semen has a significant impact on a woman's ability to conceive. It can enhance the likelihood of conception because thicker semen is less likely to leak out of the vagina than thin semen.
4. Can ejaculation impact semen texture?
According to researchers, ejaculation can have a considerable impact on the texture of men's semen.
After ejaculation, the texture of semen changes from warm and thick to thin and gradually cools when exposed to the outer environment for a few minutes. Furthermore, frequent ejaculation can have an impact on semen thickness. This can lower the volume of semen and sperm produced after each ejaculation in men.
5. Factors that can alter the texture of semen
If the texture of your sperm abruptly changes to a different state than usual, such as thicker and lumpier, this can be due to the following reasons:
5.1 Dehydration
The majority of semen in the male body is made up of water. As a result, when the body suffers from a severe fluid deprivation, semen is thicker than usual. Furthermore, dehydration can disrupt the body's pH equilibrium, with a normal pH level of 7.4. The texture of semen may change if the pH is not consistently kept at this level. This thickens semen and has detrimental impacts on other bodily functioning.
To determine if your body is dehydrated, you can observe some of the following symptoms:
- Exhaustion
- Dizziness
- Frequent thirst.
- Confusion
- Increased the frequency of urination
- Bloody or dark stools.
- Dark urine
5.2 Hormonal Imbalance
Semen contains several hormones that can protect sperm while it passes through a woman's vagina, including the hormone testosterone. Furthermore, hormone balance in the body is influenced by a variety of other factors, including nutrition, age, and physical activity level.
Hormonal imbalance not only has a variety of health problems, particularly in men, but it can also change the texture of semen and the shape of sperm. The following are the primary symptoms of hormonal imbalance in the body:
- Loss of libido.
- Difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection during sex
- Hair loss in some regions of the body.
- Feeling weary.
- Unexplained weight loss
- Significant rise in body fat.
- A significant reduction of muscle mass
5.3 Infections
A thick semen texture can be caused by genital tract infectious diseases, particularly bacterial infections. In actuality, these disorders can increase white blood cell count while decreasing semen volume, sperm concentration, and sperm shape.
A recent study found that bacteria that cause genital tract infections can trigger white blood cells to assault sperm. This causes a change in the consistency of semen. Researchers also stated that bacterial infections contribute to sperm clumping. This is also the reason your sperm is thicker than normal.
When the body is infected, you will experience the following noticeable symptoms:
- Pain when urinating
- Difficulty in urination
- Blood present in urine
- Enlarged testicles
- Clear or turbid penile discharge
6. When should you visit the doctor?
If you have any symptoms such as pain, weariness, or discomfort, as well as symptoms of thick sperm, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
If the cause of the change in semen texture is an infection, your doctor may advise you to treat it with appropriate antibiotics. On the other hand, if you have any other strange symptoms besides thick sperm, particularly a temperature exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, you should go to the nearest medical facility right away for a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Furthermore, other symptoms that can affect the genital tract, such as abnormal discharge, testicular swelling, or urination pain, must be treated as soon as possible because they are manifestations of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
7. Some ways to protect sperm health
Sperm count is significantly associated with both your and your partner's ability to conceive. To optimize the probability of sperm approaching and fertilizing a woman's egg, a substantial quantity of male sperm is necessary.
Normally, each milliliter (ml) of semen contains around 40 and 300 million sperm. A man's sperm count is low if there are just 10-20 million sperm in each milliliter of semen. However, 20 million sperm per ml of semen is sufficient for a woman to conceive successfully if the sperm is healthy.
To improve sperm health and increase chances of conceiving, use some of the following methods:
- Maintain an ideal weight. Obese people should try to lose some weight in order to increase their sperm count. Some research suggests that losing weight helps to increase sperm count, concentration, volume, and mobility.
- Get more exercise: Living an active and healthy lifestyle that includes frequent exercise, such as weight lifting or running, not only improves your general health but also increases the amount of healthy sperm.
- Add vitamins that are beneficial to sperm health, such as vitamins C, E, D, and CoQ10. According to some research, taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C every day can help men boost their sperm count and mobility. This also helps to increase the chances of getting pregnant.
- Limit using drug: Regular smoking, alcohol consumption, and other stimulants can lower sperm count and have a negative impact on sperm health. To improve matters, attempt to reduce their abuse as quickly as feasible.
Basically, many different factors influence the semen texture. If the sperm or male genitals have any abnormal signs, the patient should consult a doctor for an examination and prompt guidance.
The Department of Andrology at Vinmec International General Hospital specializes in examining, treating, and early detection of health problems involving the male genitals, physiological disorders, reproductive function, and sexually transmitted diseases. The hospital's examinations are always performed by a team of highly experienced doctors with many years of experience who have successfully treated numerous cases of seminal vesiculitis, orchitis, balanitis, cystitis, urethritis, lengthy foreskin, phimosis, etc.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
Reference source: www.healthline.com
