Anything more may be as bad as anything less. There are two opposing kinds of conditions that may affect men and those are hypospermia and hyperspermia. Among these two issues, hypospermia is much more common.
Hypospermia is a condition when a man has an extremely small ejaculate volume, generally less than 1.5 ml, and it also means a lower sperm count. On the contrary, hyperspermia means a higher volume of ejaculate. However, this does not essentially imply a higher sperm count.
In many cases, hyperspermia may also mean low sperm count. This increase in volume is not due to greater sperm production. Instead, it is due to the higher amount of semen production. Thus, it may cause greater dilution of the ejaculate. Hyperspermia may happen due to many health conditions that are associated with lower sperm count.
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Since Hyperspermia is a less common problem, it remains a relatively neglected male fertility issue. As a result, there are very few studies on the subject. Nonetheless, one of the studies on Indian men found that it may affect about 4% of men [1].
What are the symptoms of the condition?
Although the condition may have some symptoms, not in all cases. Therefore, the condition may frequently go unnoticed. After all, men are not much likely to notice some slight increase in the quantity of ejaculate.
Moreover, there is some disagreement over what hyperspermia is. Experts suggest that Hyperspermia may be regarded if the volume of ejaculate is more than 6-6.5 milliliters.
Quite often, hyperspermia would not produce any symptoms, and doctors would only discover the condition coincidently when some men seek medical attention due to fertility-related issues.
Some men may produce symptoms; however, these symptoms are vague and may also occur due to other reasons. For example, some may have symptoms like delay in ejaculation, pain during ejaculation, fatigue, dizziness after sex, high sexual drive and yet low fertility, and some other issues.
As one can understand, the above symptoms may suggest some issues with sexual health. However, these symptoms are by no means confirmatory. Such kind of signs and symptoms may occur in a range of health conditions.
Thus, if a person notices high ejaculate volume, it is better to seek medical advice to confirm the diagnosis.
Can hyperspermia affect male fertility?
Hyperspermia is not due to higher sperm count but rather high semen production. This may not essentially be harmful. Thus, hyperspermia may or may not negatively affect male fertility. This is unlike hypospermia, where there is almost always a low fertility issue.
Although hyperspermia is not likely to cause fertility issues in all, it may cause problems in some cases. It appears that in some, high semen production may dilute the sperms, thus reducing their concentration.
Additionally, high amounts of semen may negatively impact semen quality and thus sperm motility. All this may ultimately lead to reduced fertility in some men.
It means that hyperspermia is less likely to cause any fertility-related issues. Nonetheless, in some men, it may cause problems.
Studies suggest that high semen amount in those living with hyperspermia does not seem to affect the sperm quality and motility much. However, in some men, increased semen amount is suggestive of rather a low sperm count [2]. This may explain why some men with hyperspermia struggle to conceive a child.
Should you seek medical attention for hyperspermia?
As already mentioned, that hyperspermia does not seem to be a severe issue for most men. Thus, if someone thinks he has more semen production or hyperspermia, that is not a reason to worry.
Perhaps the only reason to seek medical attention is low fertility. If one is living with hyperspermia, and cannot conceive a child within a year, then it is a reason to seek medical attention.
Hyperspermia may not say much to the doctors, and thus they would often need to carry out multiple fertility-related medical tests:
Semen analysis
Low sperm volume of motility or changes in the sperm shape are some of the leading causes of low male fertility. Thus, doctors would ask the patient to masturbate in a cup, collect a sperm sample, and then examine the sperm under the microscope to understand the cause of low fertility.
They will look at the various sperm parameters like count, shape, and motility.
Hormone tests
If you have hyperspermia, this does not essentially mean that you have high male hormone testosterone. Hyperspermia is mainly due to high semen production by the prostate gland.
It means that even men with hyperspermia may have low testosterone and smaller testicles. Medical testing is the only reliable way to know more about your hormonal status.
Imaging
Sometimes, hyperspermia may indicate something graver, especially in older men or in men who have experienced a sudden increase in their ejaculate volume. In such cases, imaging may help understand if the cause of hyperspermia is the changes in some of the reproductive organs.
How do doctors treat hyperspermia?
Generally, hyperspermia does not require any medical treatment. Instead, doctors would treat other issues like low sperm count, fertility-related issues, and so on. However, some men may experience sexual dysfunction due to the issue, and they may require some counseling.
Fortunately, apart from low fertility in some men, hyperspermia does not require any specific treatment. Moreover, in many men, the condition may be temporary.
If doctors cannot manage the conditions with the help of conservative treatment, they may need to use other ways of treatment. For example, they might recommend using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to manage infertility in couples.
To sum up, hyperspermia is a rare condition. Fortunately, it is not a cause for worry in most cases. This is because most men with the condition have normal sperm count and fertility.
Nonetheless, in some cases, the condition may result in low fertility. Thus, such men would require treatment for infertility and not for hyperspermia.
References
- Butt F, Akram N. Semen analysis parameters: Experiences and insight into male infertility at a tertiary care hospital in Punjab. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013;63:5.
- Zhang Y Juan, Zhong J, Zhu W Jie. Evaluation on sperm parameters of ejaculates with hyperspermia. Journal of Reproduction and Contraception. 2015;26(3):131-134. doi:10.7669/j.issn.1001-7844.2015.03.0131
Dr. Preet Pal Singh Bhinder is a physician (M.D. Medicine) with a specialization in diabetes (Fellowship in diabetes, Royal Liverpool Academy). He is a lifetime