Does poor sperm motility affect male fertility?

What is sperm motility?

Sperm motility is the ability of sperm to move efficiently in a woman's body. This ability is needed in order to produce a successful pregnancy. Referring to the way sperm swim, motility is of two types, namely:

Progressive motility that is when the sperm swim in mostly straight lines or large circles.
Non-progressive motility that is, the sperm can move but do not make progressive movements or can only swim in a limited circle. Movements that may be carried out are only in the form of vibrations or moving in place or doing a zigzag trip so that they cannot reach the female reproductive organs.

In order for sperm to pass through the cervical mucus and fertilize an egg, it must have a progressive motility of at least 25 micrometers per second. When less than 32 percent of your sperm cells are classified as progressive motility sperm (in other words, the remaining 68 percent are considered non-progressive), then your sperm is in the category of poor sperm motility or asthenozoospermia.

Poor sperm motility is divided into three types, namely:

Slow progressive motility (movement).
Non-progressive motility characterized by movement of less than five micrometers per second.
There is no sperm movement at all.

To check how the motility of your sperm, please immediately see a doctor. The doctor will check the quality of your sperm in a laboratory for further analysis.

Does poor sperm motility affect male fertility?

To be able to fertilize an egg, sperm must be healthy. There are several main criteria that indicate sperm health, including:

Sperm volume or count
Motility (movement of sperm)
Sperm form
Acrosome reaction (membrane fusion that releases enzymes from the sperm head to support fertilization)
Zona pellucida binding (the ability of sperm to penetrate into the thick transparent membrane around the egg in the process of fertilization)
Having the right number of chromosomes so that the baby is perfectly conceived

Damage or disability in any of the criteria mentioned above can cause a man to be infertile. Therefore, a man whose sperm movement is poor may find it difficult to cultivate offspring.

Quoted from Medical News Today, nearly 90 percent of male fertility problems are actually caused by low sperm count. However, poor sperm motility and abnormal sperm shape account for 10 percent of the things that make it difficult for men to have children.

Causes of slow sperm movement

Various things can cause sperm movement to slow down so that it is difficult for men to have children. Among others are:

Infection of the testicles
Testicular cancer
Testicular surgery
Undescended testes (cryptorchidism)
Long-term use of anabolic steroids
Varicocele, an enlarged blood vessel in the scrotum
Use of illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine
Certain herbal remedies
Genetic factors
Excessive cigarette consumption (more than 10 cigarettes per day)

Treating poor sperm motility

Treating sperm motility can be done by adopting a healthy lifestyle such as:

Get regular exercise
Maintain ideal body weight
Limit your cell phone radiation exposure by not putting it in your pants pocket
Reducing alcohol consumption
Quit smoking

Apart from a healthy lifestyle, several types of supplements can also help increase sperm motility. A study reported by Healthline found that consuming 200 micrograms of selenium along with 400 units of vitamin E for 100 consecutive days can increase sperm motility by 52 percent.

If the cause is health problems such as low hormone levels and varicocele, then use of follicle stimulating hormone and chorionic gonadotropins may help. In some cases, the doctor will also recommend surgery.

Avoid the habit of consuming marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs that can reduce sperm quality if you and your partner are planning a pregnancy.

It is also important to maintain ideal testicular temperature because sperm can be easily damaged if exposed to hot temperatures, for example because they are accustomed to sitting in a hot motor seat. Also try to get up from sitting every 30 minutes to prevent an increase in the temperature around the testicles from sitting too long.