Sperm motility is the ability of the sperm to move. It is an important factor along with sperm count and sperm morphology, which is looked at in semen analysis test because sperm needs to travel forward through the woman’s reproductive tract to reach and fertilise an egg. A man with poor sperm motility may be diagnosed with male factor infertility because if the sperm are lazy and have reduced movement, they won’t be able to reach the egg in time and fertilise it. For getting pregnant with low sperm motility, at least 50% of sperm should be motile and should comprise more of the progressive motile ones.
Sperm motility refers to the movement of the sperm and plays a major role in achieving pregnancy. For conception to occur, the sperm need to swim forward towards the egg and fertilise it before it disintegrates. It is not necessary for all the sperm to move. But according to WHO 2010 criteria in a semen analysis test at least 40% of the sperm should be moving in the given sample to be considered as the normal sperm motility and this is referred to as the total motility. Total motility records all the sperm that are moving, be it the ones that move with forwarding progression, one that moves in circles or the ones that are only fluttering their tails.
However, for fertilisation, we need sperm that can move from one place to another with a rapid forward movement, not the ones that are just twitching their tails or moving around in tight circles. Wiggling in the same place will not suffice. Many sperm have limited motility, and their movement is restricted to the same spot. A sperm is a motile sperm if it can swim rapidly forward in a straight line. A man should have a progressive motility of 32% to be able to make his female partner pregnant. Sperm with non-progressive motility refers to those sperm that move but don’t make forward progression. And healthy sperm motility is defined as sperm showing forward progression at the rate of 25μm/s (micrometres per second). Depending on their type of movement, the motility of sperm is divided into three different sperm motility grades.
And Total Motility (which is 40%) in a semen analysis report is given as the sum of progressive sperm motility grade and non-progressive sperm motility grade (Total motility = Grade a + Grade b).
We commonly hear about low sperm count, and 90% of male infertility issues are caused by it. But poor sperm motility is also an important factor that needs to be considered while achieving pregnancy. When a man has a low sperm count, it means there are fewer sperm that are travelling all along the long trail, i.e. from the cervix to the fallopian tubes, hence reducing the possibility of that one sperm reaching the egg. And with low motility, the chance of that ‘one’ sperm fertilising the egg becomes even more difficult because with limited motility it won’t be able to reach the egg in time and fertilise it.
Low sperm motility means the sperm's inability to travel fast in forward progression. It is technically known as asthenospermia or asthenoszoospermia and is diagnosed when the sperm that can move efficiently are less than 32%. It means the sperm find it difficult to move towards the egg due to its limited motility. Many men with low sperm count (oligospermia) may also have low sperm motility or asthenospermia, and the condition is called Oligoasthenospermia. And some men might have a normal sperm count but very poor motility. In men who do not have normal sperm motility, it has been found that the level of sperm DNA fragmentation is more.
There are several low sperm motility causes, and they are almost similar to the factors affecting low sperm count because these two male infertility factors often co-exist. Sperm with low count and low sperm motility called asthenozoospermia may also have a poor morphology. So, if sperm is not formed properly, it may also not swim properly. There are some medical and environmental reasons and some lifestyle choices that a man makes that eventually diminishes the overall quality of sperm, thus affecting its shape, count and movement. If a man can manage a proper lifestyle, then there is a chance of improving the quality of sperm. Some low sperm motility causes include:
Many childless couples are not able to conceive due to issues in male fertility, and for a male, everything is usually related to the sperm. The overall quality of sperm should be good enough for natural pregnancy to occur provided the female does not have any reproductive issues. If a man has low count, the chances of pregnancy becomes low, if one has an abnormal morphology the sperm wouldn’t be able to fertilise the egg and if the count and morphology are normal, but the motility is low then the sperm wouldn’t be able to reach the egg in time and fertilise it thus inhibiting pregnancy.
For low motility pregnancy success to occur, everything should work in synchronization, right from a woman’s menstrual cycle to ovulation and hormonal balance, followed by timed intercourse and the sperm quality should be good so that it can increase the chances of pregnancy. After ovulation, an egg stays in the fallopian tube for 12-24 hours waiting for the sperm to fertilise it. The sperm should be active enough to travel up the vagina, then go past the cervix, into the uterus and then swim to the fallopian tube to fertilise the egg before it disintegrates. It doesn’t matter how the couples are timing their intercourse, or what is a man’s sperm count; if the sperm is unable to travel towards the egg, pregnancy won’t be achieved.
For low motility pregnancy success to occur, everything should work in synchronization, right from a woman’s menstrual cycle to ovulation and hormonal balance, followed by timed intercourse and the sperm quality should be good so that it can increase the chances of pregnancy. After ovulation, an egg stays in the fallopian tube for 12-24 hours waiting for the sperm to fertilise it. The sperm should be active enough to travel up the vagina, then go past the cervix, into the uterus and then swim to the fallopian tube to fertilise the egg before it disintegrates. It doesn’t matter how the couples are timing their intercourse, or what is a man’s sperm count; if the sperm is unable to travel towards the egg, pregnancy won’t be achieved.
If a couple is facing an issue of low semen motility while trying to conceive and has tried all the home remedies, taken vitamin supplements and even managed lifestyle changes without any luck, then the best course of action would be visiting an infertility specialist . During investigations, if low motility is found due to some hormonal disorders, then treatment might be possible but if a genetic cause is responsible for low or no motility then assisted reproductive techniques (ART) might be recommended. The available low sperm motility solutions or treatments are discussed below.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure where healthy and active sperm are injected directly into the uterus. This procedure saves the sperm from taking the long journey from the cervix to the fallopian tube, thus making it easier to reach the egg. But this procedure is recommended in males who have less than 30-40% sperm motility range.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is recommended when IUI fails and when the sperm motility rate is lower than 30%. In this process, the egg is fertilised directly with the sperm in a lab. The embryo that is fertilised is then transferred to the uterus to establish a successful pregnancy.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is recommended in men with severe motility issues that is when the motile sperm count is less than 5 million in the ejaculate. This option has a successful fertilisation rate of 70-90% and can be done as long as one normal motile sperm is found in the ejaculate.
For IUI treatment, the sperm motility should at least be in the range of 30-40%. As the cost of IUI procedure is low, so couples generally prefer it as the first line of treatment not knowing the fact that for very low motility it is not recommended. Even the success rate is not that high. Generally, IUI should not be recommended if 3 cycles have already failed. The next line of treatment ideally should be IVF, but in Rosy’s husband’s case, he had poor sperm motility issue where the percentage of motile sperm were very low. In his case, the perfect treatment was ICSI. We prefer offering ICSI treatment to all men diagnosed with asthenospermia to avoid the risk of fertilisation failure with traditional IVF.
Medicover Fertility clinics are among the top fertility clinics in Europe, now in India. We have a team of highly dedicated, skilled and experienced doctors who have been successfully treating men with fertility issues. We have a high success rate as we use the most advanced technology in Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART).
Medicover Fertility has many low sperm motility success stories to share. We have been able to treat many severe cases of sperm motility where patients had come to us after many failed IUI and IVF. With our services, we have been able to restore the smiles in many couples who otherwise had lost all hopes after many failures in attempts to parenthood.
Sperm motility is important for male fertility. If a man’s sperm is unable to swim effectively, then natural pregnancy would be difficult. The sperm will not be able to reach the egg because of its poor motility.
Unhealthy lifestyle choices can lead to many factors that can decrease the chances of a successful pregnancy. These factors may include poor sperm motility, lower sperm counts and abnormal morphology. And any damage to sperm quality can cause fertility problems, even if an egg is fertilised it may lead to a miscarriage.
The chances of pregnancy with low motility are minimal where one must resort to assisted reproductive techniques. IUI is recommended in couples where the motility ranges from 30-40%. If the motility range is less than 30%, IVF is recommended, and in cases of severe motility problems, ICSI is recommended.
Motile sperms are the sperms that can move efficiently. For every ejaculate sample, the sperms need to be motile, in order to move through the woman’s reproductive tract and fertilise her eggs.
Motility of sperm refers to the sperm’s ability to move. 90% of male infertility issues are caused due to low sperm count or poor sperm motility.
