What Does a Semen Analysis Measure? All 20 Parameters Explained

Written by: Mate Health Clinical Education Team
Medically reviewed by: Nicholas Farber, MD
Published: Sep 2026

Semen analysis results are often reduced, in conversation, to a single figure: sperm count. But a laboratory-processed semen analysis can report far more than that.

Mate Health’s Comprehensive Semen Analysis reports 20 core semen parameters using World Health Organization (WHO) 6th Edition methodology: 9 measured parameters, 10 calculated parameters, and 1 motion metric, velocity. Together, they give a physician a much more detailed picture than any single number could.

This article walks through what each of those 20 parameters measures, why that depth can matter clinically, and how the values move from raw laboratory observations to a finished report.

What Counts as a Measured Parameter?

Measured parameters are values obtained directly from the specimen during laboratory analysis: how much semen there is, how many sperm are present, how those sperm move, and what they look like structurally. Nine parameters fall into the measured category. Velocity is reported separately as a motion metric.

Parameter	What It Shows	WHO 6th Edition Reference
Volume	Total fluid volume of the ejaculate	≥1.4 mL
Concentration	Sperm per milliliter of semen	≥16 M/mL
Total Motility	Percentage of sperm showing any movement	≥42%
Progressive Motility	Percentage of sperm moving forward in a directional pattern	≥30%
Rapidly Progressive	Fast, directional forward-moving sperm, a subset of progressive motility	Reported for context
Slowly Progressive	Directional forward movement at a slower speed, a subset of progressive motility	Reported for context
Non-Progressive	Movement without meaningful forward travel	Reported for context
Immotile	No movement detected	Reported for context
Morphology, Normal Forms	Percentage of sperm with normal head, midpiece, and tail structure	≥4%

Velocity is the report’s motion metric and measures the speed of sperm movement in micrometers per second. It does not carry a WHO lower reference limit and can provide additional context alongside the motility breakdown.

Why Split Motility Into Four Categories Instead of One Number?

This is where additional parameter depth can become useful. Two men can have the same total motility percentage and still have very different motility profiles, depending on how that movement breaks down.

Take two hypothetical results, both showing 40% total motility:

• One man's 40% is almost entirely rapidly progressive, meaning sperm are moving forward with speed and direction.
• Another man's 40% is mostly non-progressive, meaning sperm are moving but making little meaningful forward progress.

A report that only states "40% motile" cannot distinguish between these two samples.

A report that separates rapidly progressive, slowly progressive, non-progressive, and immotile sperm gives a physician more information about the type of movement being observed. Rapidly and slowly progressive sperm together make up the progressive motility figure. The four-way split provides greater detail about the overall motility result.

What Are Calculated Parameters, and Why Do They Matter?

Calculated parameters combine concentration, volume, motility, and morphology into figures that describe the entire ejaculate rather than a single percentage or concentration. Ten values fall into this category.

Parameter	What It Shows	WHO 6th Edition Reference
Total Sperm Count	Concentration × volume, across the full ejaculate	≥39 million
Motile Sperm Concentration	Concentration of motile sperm per milliliter	Reported for context
Total Motile Sperm Count	Total motile sperm across the full ejaculate	Reported for context
Progressive Motile Sperm Concentration	Concentration of progressively motile sperm per milliliter	Reported for context
Progressive Motile Sperm Count	Total progressively motile sperm across the full ejaculate	Reported for context
Rapid Progressive Motile Concentration	Concentration of rapidly progressive sperm per milliliter	Reported for context
Slow Progressive Motile Concentration	Concentration of slowly progressive sperm per milliliter	Reported for context
Functional Sperm Concentration	Sperm per milliliter that are both progressively motile and morphologically normal	Reported for context
Functional Sperm Count	Total functional sperm across the full ejaculate	Reported for context
Morphologically Normal Sperm Count	Total normal-form sperm across the full ejaculate	Reported for context

Total sperm count is a good example of why these calculations matter. It is not observed directly. It is derived by multiplying concentration by volume, and it can provide different context than concentration alone if semen volume is unusually high or low.

Functional sperm concentration goes a step further by estimating the concentration of sperm meeting multiple functional criteria simultaneously, specifically progressive motility and normal morphology.

Together, these 20 core semen parameters are why a comprehensive laboratory-processed test, like Mate Health's Comprehensive Semen Analysis, provides considerably more information than a simple sperm count or pass/fail screening result. Each additional value gives a physician more context when interpreting the overall semen analysis.

How Do These Values Get From Specimen to Report?

Whether a sample is analyzed fresh in a clinic or transported after at-home collection, laboratory methodology and specimen handling both matter.

Mate Health performs testing using WHO 6th Edition methodology in a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited high-complexity andrology laboratory. For a deeper look at what separates laboratory-processed analysis from consumer screening devices, see At-Home Semen Analysis: What "Clinical-Grade" Actually Means.

The step that is easy to overlook is what happens to a transported specimen before it reaches the laboratory. Semen parameters, particularly motility, are sensitive to time and temperature after collection.

Validated cooled transport helps preserve specimen integrity during transit so the laboratory can analyze the transported sample directly rather than relying on modeled corrections intended to estimate what values may have been at the time of collection.

We cover that distinction, and other factors to consider when evaluating at-home testing, in How Accurate Are At-Home Sperm Tests?

What About Vitality and DNA Fragmentation?

Core semen parameters such as count, motility, and morphology describe sperm quantity, movement, and structure. They do not measure the integrity of the DNA those sperm carry.

Research indicates that up to 20% of men with unexplained infertility may have elevated sperm DNA fragmentation despite core semen parameters within reference ranges.

Sperm DNA fragmentation testing may be considered in selected clinical situations, including certain cases of recurrent pregnancy loss or unexplained infertility, although DNA Fragmentation Index, or DFI, alone does not diagnose infertility.

Mate Health measures DNA fragmentation using the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion, or Halo, method. Sperm are classified across five halo categories based on the appearance of DNA dispersion around the sperm head, providing a measurement of DNA fragmentation rather than a simple pass/fail result.

Vitality testing answers a separate question: what percentage of sperm are alive?

This becomes particularly useful when motility is very low because vitality testing can distinguish immotile sperm that are still alive from sperm that are non-viable.

Vitality is included in Mate Health’s Advanced Semen Analysis and is also available as a $45 upgrade to the Comprehensive Semen Analysis. When a specimen meets Mate Health’s low-motility criteria, reflex vitality testing is automatically performed at no additional charge.

Why Does Additional Parameter Depth Improve Physician Review?

Each of the examples above points to the same underlying reason: additional parameters give a physician more context for interpreting the overall result.

A single total motility percentage does not show how movement is distributed between rapidly progressive, slowly progressive, non-progressive, and immotile sperm. Reporting the full motility breakdown makes that distinction visible.

Calculated values can provide another layer of information. Functional sperm concentration, for example, estimates the concentration of sperm that are both progressively motile and morphologically normal rather than requiring a physician to compare those percentages separately.

The same principle applies across the full report.

A low total sperm count paired with normal concentration but low volume represents a different laboratory pattern than a low total sperm count paired with normal volume but low concentration. That distinction is visible because volume, concentration, and total sperm count are reported separately rather than being collapsed into a single figure.

Parameter depth is not about generating more data for its own sake. It is about giving the physician greater resolution when reviewing a semen analysis and helping make the clinical conversation more specific than simply saying that a number is "high" or "low."

Frequently Asked Questions

How many parameters does a semen analysis report?
The number of reported parameters varies by laboratory and testing method. Mate Health's Comprehensive Semen Analysis reports 20 core semen parameters using WHO 6th Edition methodology: 9 measured parameters, 10 calculated parameters, and 1 motion metric, velocity. Mate Health's Advanced Semen Analysis adds two advanced parameters, vitality and DNA Fragmentation Index, for a total of 22 parameters.

Why does motility get split into four categories instead of one overall number?
Because two samples can share the same total motility percentage while differing substantially in how many sperm are moving forward with speed and direction versus moving without meaningful forward progress. Reporting rapidly progressive, slowly progressive, non-progressive, and immotile sperm provides more detail about the overall motility result.

What's the difference between a measured and a calculated parameter?
Measured parameters are obtained directly during laboratory analysis, including volume, concentration, motility, and morphology. Calculated parameters combine those observations to describe totals or specific sperm populations across the entire ejaculate. Velocity is reported separately as a motion metric.

Does a normal semen analysis mean DNA fragmentation testing isn't necessary?
Not necessarily. Core semen parameters do not measure sperm DNA integrity, and some men with unexplained infertility and core semen parameters within reference ranges may still have elevated DNA fragmentation. DNA fragmentation testing is a separate assessment that may be considered in specific clinical situations and should be discussed with a physician.

Is a semen analysis the same everywhere it's performed?
Not necessarily. Laboratories may differ in the parameters they report, the instruments and methodologies they use, and how specimens are handled before analysis. WHO 6th Edition provides standardized laboratory guidance, but specimen preservation, laboratory quality systems, and reporting depth can vary.

Conclusion

A semen analysis rarely turns on one number.

Measured values describe what the laboratory directly observed in the specimen. Calculated values translate those observations into totals and specific sperm populations across the full ejaculate. Velocity adds a separate measure of sperm movement speed.

Together, these 20 core semen parameters give a physician considerably more information than sperm count alone, whether that means distinguishing between two samples with similar total motility or identifying a low functional sperm concentration that would not be apparent from concentration alone.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Semen analysis results, including WHO 6th Edition reference values, represent lower reference limits from a reference population and are not individual pass/fail cutoffs for fertility. A semen analysis does not diagnose infertility or predict the likelihood of conception on its own. Always discuss your results with a qualified physician as part of a complete fertility evaluation.

References

1. World Health Organization. WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen. 6th edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021.
2. Björndahl L, Kirkman-Brown J, et al. The sixth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual: ensuring quality and standardization in basic examination of human ejaculates. Fertility and Sterility. 2022;117(2):246-251.
3. Esteves SC, Zini A, Coward RM, et al. Sperm DNA fragmentation testing: Summary evidence and clinical practice recommendations. Andrologia. 2021;53(2):e13874.
4. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Recurrent pregnancy loss: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility. 2026;125(6):1023-1041.
5. Fernández JL, Muriel L, Rivero MT, Goyanes V, Vazquez R, Alvarez JG. The sperm chromatin dispersion test: a simple method for the determination of sperm DNA fragmentation. Journal of Andrology. 2003;24(1):59-66.
6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA): Quality standards and laboratory certification guidelines.
7. College of American Pathologists. Laboratory Accreditation Program: Operational standards and clinical accuracy assessment criteria.