To understand how your daily life affects your sperm, you first need to know how healthy sperm is made.
Sperm Production in Numbers
A healthy man produces around 100 million sperm cells each day, but only a few will ever reach and fertilize an egg.
Unlike women, who are born with all the eggs they will ever have—around 400 mature eggs over a lifetime—men make sperm continuously. Throughout life, they produce billions. This process happens in the seminiferous tubules inside the testes, as shown in Figure 1.
Fig 1:
The testes contain many thin, coiled tubes called seminiferous tubules. Inside these tubes, sperm cells form and grow. The Sertoli cells in the walls support and feed the developing sperm by providing nutrients and blood products.
Once sperm cells reach maturity, they move to the epididymis and then into the ductus deferens for short-term storage. There, they gain the ability to move and swim properly.
The Production of Sperm Cells (Spermatogenesis)
Sperm production, known as spermatogenesis, is a complex and carefully controlled process. It usually takes about 64 days—sometimes as few as 42 or as many as 76 days—to complete [1].
Hormones such as FSH, LH, and testosterone start and control sperm production. During this process, immature cells divide and change into fully formed sperm that can swim and fertilize an egg.
The hypothalamus, a small gland in the brain, controls these hormones. Figure 2 shows spermiogenesis—the final phase of sperm development—where spermatids become fully mature, motile sperm cells.
Fig 2:
The figure shows spermiogenesis, the last stage of sperm formation. Here, an immature spermatid gradually transforms into a sperm cell (steps 1–7).
Sperm production depends on healthy conditions inside the body. When a man is sexually aroused, the mature sperm mixes with seminal fluid—a white liquid from the seminal vesicles, bulbourethral glands, and prostate. Together, sperm and fluid form semen.
As seen in Figure 1, sperm are created inside the seminiferous tubules and then move to the epididymis, where they continue to mature and develop motility.
Advice from Dr. Fatin Willendrup, ExSeed Head of Medical Affairs
“Lifestyle, health issues, and ejaculation frequency all influence sperm quality. If you’re worried about your fertility, don’t wait—speak with your doctor or take an at-home sperm test.”
What Can Affect Healthy Sperm?
A healthy, mature sperm cell looks like the one shown in Figure 3.
Fig 3: Sperm cell anatomy
Each sperm cell has three key parts:
- Head: Holds the DNA and enzymes needed to break through the egg’s surface during fertilization.
- Midpiece: Generates the energy that powers movement.
- Tail: Enables swimming through rhythmic, whip-like motions.
Several factors can interfere with sperm production or growth. Conditions such as undescended or malformed testicles can disrupt production, and even healthy-looking testes might have genetic problems that affect sperm quality.
Heat exposure, oxidative stress, varicocele (enlarged veins in the scrotum), hormone imbalances, radiation, and testicular cancer can also damage sperm DNA and structure, reducing fertility [2].
To produce strong, motile sperm that can fertilize an egg, men should keep their reproductive system in a healthy state.
Tips for Healthy Sperm Production
- Avoid habits that harm sperm health.
- Keep the testicular area cool and well-ventilated—tight underwear can raise temperature.
- Check your testicles regularly for changes.
- Pay attention to your semen’s smell, volume, and colour.
