You can improve sperm count and motility during the 72 to 90 days it takes your body to produce new sperm: eat well, take antioxidants such as zinc, CoQ10, and folate, exercise, get enough sleep, and cut out smoking, excessive alcohol, heat, and stress. Persistent low results need a semen analysis and treatment of the underlying cause, not an over-the-counter booster.
What do sperm count and motility actually mean?
Sperm count and motility are two of the three core measures on a semen analysis (a laboratory sperm test). Count refers to how many sperm are present, reported as concentration (sperm per millilitre) and total number per ejaculate. Motility is the share of sperm that are moving, with progressive motility (forward-swimming sperm) mattering most for natural conception. The third measure, morphology, is sperm shape. These fertility measures are separate from testosterone, libido, or erections; improving one does not automatically improve the others. The table below shows the current World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 lower reference limits.
Semen parameter (WHO 2021)
Lower reference limit
Semen volume
1.4 mL or more
Sperm concentration (count per mL)
16 million per mL or more
Total sperm number per ejaculate
39 million or more
Total motility (all moving sperm)
42% or more
Progressive motility (forward-moving)
30% or more
Normal morphology (shape)
4% or more
Why count and motility can improve, and why it takes time
Sperm production runs continuously, and one full cycle takes roughly 72 to 90 days (about two to three months). That is why any change you make today shows up on a semen analysis only after two to three months, not overnight. Anyone promising to raise your count in a day or with a single tablet is selling hope, not biology. It also means consistency matters more than intensity: steady habits maintained over a full cycle beat a rushed week of effort. Because count, motility, and morphology are set during this window, protecting sperm from heat, toxins, and oxidative stress throughout the cycle is what drives the numbers.
How to increase sperm count and motility naturally
For men with mildly reduced results, lifestyle change is often the only step needed. The habits below have the strongest evidence and work by improving the environment in which sperm are made.
Eat a fertility-friendly diet
Build meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, and fish. These supply zinc, folate, selenium, and the antioxidants (vitamins C and E) that protect developing sperm from oxidative stress. Cut back on ultra-processed food, excess sugar, and trans fats. Diet supports sperm health rather than transforming it, so treat it as a foundation, not a cure.
Reach and hold a healthy weight
Both obesity and being significantly underweight disturb the hormones that drive sperm production. Bringing your body mass index into a healthy range, through diet and regular activity, is one of the more reliable ways to support count and motility.
Exercise, but do not overtrain
Regular moderate activity such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or strength training a few times a week supports healthy hormone levels. Extreme endurance training and overtraining without recovery can have the opposite effect, so aim for consistency rather than exhaustion.
Sleep 7 to 9 hours
Poor and irregular sleep is linked to lower testosterone and weaker semen quality. A steady sleep routine is a simple, underrated lever.
Smoking, heavy drinking, cannabis, and anabolic steroids all lower count and motility and raise sperm DNA damage. Anabolic steroids can shut down sperm production almost completely. Stopping helps, and improvements build over the following two to three months.
Keep the testicles cool
Sperm form best at a few degrees below core body temperature. Avoid frequent hot tub use and saunas, keep laptops off your lap, take breaks from prolonged sitting, and choose breathable underwear if you tend to overheat.
Manage stress
Long-term stress affects the hormones involved in sperm production. Sleep, exercise, time outdoors, and relaxation practices such as yoga or breathing exercises can all help and are worth keeping up across the full sperm cycle.
What lowers sperm count and motility?
When results stay low despite good habits, an underlying cause is often involved. Common ones include:
Varicocele: enlarged veins in the scrotum that raise testicular temperature. It is one of the most common and correctable causes of low count and motility.
Infections: urinary, prostate, or sexually transmitted infections can impair sperm production or block their passage.
Hormonal imbalance: problems in the pituitary, thyroid, or testosterone pathways can reduce sperm output.
Heat exposure: regular saunas, hot baths, laptop heat, and long sedentary hours in a warm setting.
Smoking, alcohol, and drugs: including tobacco, heavy alcohol, cannabis, and anabolic steroids.
Excess weight and diabetes both disturb hormones and are linked to poorer semen quality.
Certain medicines and toxins: some prescription drugs, pesticides, heavy metals, and radiation can suppress sperm production.
Genetic or structural causes: chromosomal conditions or blockages, more likely when counts are very low or zero.
Oxidative stress: an excess of reactive molecules that damages sperm and is behind many otherwise unexplained cases.
Supplements and medical treatment: what the evidence says
Supplements and ashwagandha
Antioxidant supplements such as zinc, CoQ10, folate, selenium, L-carnitine and omega-3 are widely used for male fertility. A large 2022 Cochrane review found that they may improve pregnancy and live-birth rates, but the certainty of that evidence was low to very low, so the honest position is that they might help and are unlikely to harm, not that they are proven. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is popular in India; small randomised and pilot trials, mostly in men with low counts, report improvements in count and motility over about three months, though the trials are small and use different preparations. Treat any supplement as a possible adjunct to discuss with your doctor, not a substitute for finding the cause. Avoid generic over-the-counter boosters that promise fast results.
Which medicine works, and when to see a specialist
There is no over-the-counter magic pill that reliably raises sperm count and motility. Responsible treatment starts with a semen analysis and then targets the cause. Depending on what is found, a specialist may recommend surgical repair of a varicocele, a course of medication to clear an infection, or, in selected men with a specific hormonal pattern, hormonal therapy such as anti-estrogen tablets or gonadotrophin injections (drug classes, prescribed and monitored by a doctor, not self-started). Antioxidant therapy may be added. Where results stay low, assisted routes such as IUI, IVF or ICSI use the available sperm more efficiently, and sperm retrieval procedures can help even when there is no sperm in the ejaculate.
How much do sperm count and motility tests and treatments cost in India?
Costs vary by city, centre and how much of the work-up you need. The figures below are indicative ranges for the tests and procedures discussed above.
Rs 8,000 to 15,000, plus medicines Rs 15,000 to 30,000
IVF or ICSI (all-in)
Rs 1.15 to 2.5 lakh
What drives the cost: whether a procedure is day-care or needs admission, anaesthesia, the extent of the diagnostic work-up, the medication load (which is often the largest variable in IUI and IVF), and the city or centre. Your specialist will confirm a personalised estimate after the initial assessment.
When should you see a fertility specialist?
Lifestyle change is worth a fair trial, but some situations need earlier assessment rather than more waiting.
See a specialist if...
Why it matters
You have tried to conceive for 12 months (or 6 months if your partner is over 35)
This is the standard point to test both partners with a semen analysis
A semen analysis is below the WHO 2021 limits
A repeat test and a cause-focused work-up are needed, not a shop-bought pill
There is no sperm in the sample (azoospermia)
Needs specialist evaluation; sperm retrieval with ICSI may still allow biological fatherhood
You have had a scrotal lump, swelling or pain, or an undescended testicle in the past
May point to a varicocele or a structural cause that is treatable
Previous chemotherapy, radiotherapy or recurrent pregnancy loss
Needs tailored assessment and, sometimes, DNA fragmentation testing
If any of these apply, a male fertility assessment at Cloudnine Fertility can identify the cause and set a clear plan.
You cannot raise it in days. Because new sperm take about 72 to 90 days to form, even the best habits show up on a repeat semen analysis only after two to three months. Consistent lifestyle change over a full cycle is the fastest genuine route.
Is 70% sperm motility normal?
Yes. The WHO 2021 lower limit for total motility is 42%, with at least 30% progressive (forward-moving). A total motility of 70% is comfortably within the normal range.
Which foods increase sperm count?
No single food does it alone. A pattern rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and fish supplies the zinc, folate, selenium and antioxidants that support healthy sperm. Think of diet as steady support across the sperm cycle rather than a quick fix.
Which drink improves sperm?
There is no special drink that boosts sperm. Staying well hydrated with water and cutting back on alcohol and sugary drinks helps more than any so-called fertility tonic.
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