A percentage on its own doesn’t tell you much. 70% sounds great until you realize it’s a different parameter than 38%, and 4% sounds alarming until you find out it’s literally the WHO cutoff for normal. Each number below carries different weight depending on which parameter it’s attached to.
Is 70% active sperm good?
Yes. If 70% refers to total motility (the percentage of sperm that show any movement), that’s well above the WHO’s lower reference limit of 42% for total motility, and comfortably above the 30% threshold for progressive motility specifically. A result like this puts you solidly within the range associated with fertile men.
One thing worth checking: motility comes in two flavors. Total motility counts any sperm that move at all, including ones twitching in place. Progressive motility only counts sperm swimming forward in a relatively straight line, which is what actually matters for reaching an egg. If your 70% is total motility, ask whether progressive motility was reported separately, since that number gives you the more clinically useful picture.
Is 38% sperm motility good?
Borderline, and worth context rather than alarm. The WHO 2021 lower reference limit for total motility is 42%, so 38% sits just under that line. That technically falls into the category labeled asthenozoospermia (reduced motility), but the WHO reference values themselves come from the 5th percentile of fertile men, which means some men with completely normal fertility still land below the official cutoff.
What matters more than the single number is what else is happening in your result. A 38% motility reading alongside a strong sperm concentration and a high total motile sperm count often still adds up to a healthy chance of conception. If 38% is your only flag and everything else looks normal, it’s reasonable to retest in a few weeks before reading too much into one result, since sperm parameters naturally fluctuate from sample to sample.
Is 4% normal sperm good?
Yes, and this is the result that confuses the most people. 4% is the exact WHO lower reference limit for normal sperm morphology, meaning a sample with 96% abnormally shaped sperm and only 4% normal is still classified as within range.
That sounds backwards until you understand why. The vast majority of sperm in any ejaculate, even from fertile men, have some shape defect. Morphology has consistently shown low predictive value for natural conception or IUI success on its own, and a large meta-analysis covering over 21,000 IUI cycles found no significant difference in pregnancy rates whether the threshold used was 4% or even 1% normal forms.
If your morphology comes back below 4%, that’s diagnosed as teratozoospermia, but it’s rarely the whole story. It’s most useful read alongside concentration and motility rather than treated as a standalone verdict on your fertility.
What are the signs of weak sperm?
Mostly, there are none you can feel. The most reliable sign of a sperm quality issue is simply difficulty conceiving after 12 months of regular, unprotected sex. Sperm count, motility, and morphology problems generally don’t cause symptoms you’d notice day to day.
A few secondary signs sometimes show up alongside sperm quality issues, usually because they share an underlying cause like a hormonal imbalance or a varicocele:
- Reduced libido — often tied to low testosterone, which also affects sperm production
- Erectile dysfunction — can share the same hormonal root cause as low sperm count
- Testicular pain, swelling, or visible vein enlargement — a possible sign of a varicocele, found in around 40% of infertile men
- Reduced testicle size — smaller testicles sometimes mean less active sperm production
- Unusual semen consistency — semen that’s noticeably thin and watery, or that contains visible lumps, can sometimes accompany lower sperm quality, though consistency alone isn’t a reliable diagnostic on its own
None of these confirm a sperm quality problem by themselves, and plenty of men with abnormal results have none of these signs at all. A semen analysis is the only way to know for sure.
Putting your results together
No single percentage tells the full story. The parameters that matter most work together:
- Concentration — how many sperm per millilitre, which you can measure at home with a sperm concentration test
- Motility — what percentage are moving, and how well
- Morphology — what percentage are normally shaped
- Total motile sperm count (TMSC) — the number that combines volume, concentration, and motility into one figure, and the single best predictor of natural conception chances
A borderline number in one category rarely means much in isolation. A borderline number across several categories at once is worth a closer look. The ExSeed Semen Quality Score combines these parameters into a single number checked against WHO reference values, so you get the full picture instead of one percentage out of context.
FAQ: Sperm test result percentages explained
Is 70% active sperm good?
Yes. 70% motility sits well above the WHO lower reference limit of 42% for total motility, putting it firmly within the range associated with fertile men.
Is 38% sperm motility good?
Borderline. It sits just under the WHO’s 42% lower reference limit, but the limit itself comes from the 5th percentile of fertile men, so some men below it are still fertile. Context from other parameters matters more than this number alone.
Is 4% normal sperm good?
Yes. 4% is the exact WHO lower reference limit for normal sperm morphology. Morphology has low predictive value for fertility on its own, so this result is rarely meaningful in isolation.
What are the signs of weak sperm?
Usually none. The most reliable sign is difficulty conceiving after a year of trying. Secondary signs like reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, or testicular swelling sometimes accompany sperm quality issues, but none of them confirm a problem on their own.
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