Meaning & use
high sperm count
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemedical
A larger number of sperm cells in a man's semen than is usual or than a given standard.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a high sperm count' or 'high sperm counts'. Use 'have a high sperm count' to describe a man's fertility measure.
Patterns
- have a high sperm count
- a high sperm count of something
The doctor said his high sperm count was not a problem for their fertility treatment.
A high sperm count is often seen as a sign of good reproductive health.
The study compared men with high sperm counts to those with average counts.
nouncountablemedicaltechnical
A measurement of the concentration of sperm in a semen sample that is above a reference value.
Grammar: Countable and often used with 'of': 'a high sperm count of 100 million per milliliter'.
Patterns
- a high sperm count of something
- measured as a high sperm count
The lab report showed a high sperm count of 120 million per milliliter.
A high sperm count on a test may simply reflect normal variation.
Doctors use a high sperm count as one indicator of male fertility.
Word forms
| plural | high sperm counts |
|---|
Common combinations
- have a high sperm count
- He was relieved to hear that he had a high sperm count.
- diagnose a high sperm count
- The clinic diagnosed a high sperm count after two tests.
- a high sperm count test
- The high sperm count test results came back quickly.
- associated with a high sperm count
- Some lifestyle factors are associated with a high sperm count.
- a high sperm count reading
- The doctor explained what a high sperm count reading meant.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elevated sperm count
- More formal and often used in medical writing; 'elevated' suggests above a normal range, while 'high' is more general.
- above-average sperm count
- Focuses on comparison with an average rather than a fixed standard; 'high' can mean either.
Opposites
Word family
- sperm count noun
- The general measurement of sperm cells in semen; 'high sperm count' is a specific type.
- sperm noun
- The male reproductive cell itself; 'sperm count' measures how many are present.
Commonly confused: high sperm count or sperm motility? high sperm count or semen volume?
high sperm count vs sperm motility
Motility is how well sperm move, not how many there are. A high sperm count does not guarantee good motility.
high sperm count vs semen volume
This is the amount of fluid, not the number of sperm. A high sperm count can occur with normal or low semen volume.
Practice
The doctor told him that ___ sperm count was higher than average.
Choose one answer.
The possessive 'his' directly modifies 'high sperm count' without an article: 'his high sperm count'. 'He has a high' would need a verb and cannot fit before 'sperm count' in this phrase. 'He has high' is missing the article and is grammatically incomplete here. 'His high a' is ungrammatical because the article 'a' cannot follow 'high' in this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “high sperm count”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.