Sperm with Low Motility: Dr. Daiter, Eric MD

If you have received a semen analysis that came back with good sperm count results, but your sperm is low in motility, then you probably have some questions. Most men wonder what could be causing their sperm to have a low motility and how they can improve the quality of their sperm. Dr. Daiter, Eric MD provides information about what sperm motility means, how it can affect your fertility and what you can expect.
Your doctor has probably detected low sperm motility through a semen analysis. Sperm motility refers to the way that your sperm moves. A sperms forward progression is also evaluated to determine if it is capable of fertilizing an egg. For a sperm to have proper movement and progression, it must first have a normal shape. A sperm cell should have an oval head, pronounced mid-section and a long tail. Abnormalities are completely normal in all semen samples. The percentage of perfectly formed sperm can be very low and you can still have good motility and sperm count.
When the laboratory tests your sample, they will look for abnormalities such as clumping. Sperm can clump if there are sperm antibodies present. This can severely impact sperm motility. A man can produce antisperm antibodies if his sperm is exposed to his immune system. This generally happens after surgery or infection, such as vasectomy or prostate infection. Your sperm is normally kept separate from your immune system by your testes. If it comes in contact with your immune system, then your immunity kicks in and fights off the sperm. It can produce proteins to kill or severely damage the sperm cells. This can lower the chances of your sperm being capable of fertilizing an egg by normal means. Your reproductive endocrinologist, or infertility specialist, may choose to test for the antibody proteins if clumping is observed in the semen analysis.
Sperm motility can refer to how fast your sperm can move. We also mentioned that it can refer to whether or not the sperm have forward progression. This just means that a sperm that moves forward in a straight line is more likely to get to the egg that you want to fertilize. Some sperm can even move hyperactively, very fast and in a circular pattern. Heat exposure, prolonged abstinence, and poor lifestyle can all contribute to low sperm motility. Sperm can take up to three months to mature. If you had an illness or injury, then your sperm motility can be affected for some time afterward. Normal sperm motility can sometimes just return on its own. Your infertility specialist may need to track your sperm motility over a long period of time to accurately determine the cause of your low sperm motility.
Work with your infertility specialist to help restore your sperm motility. If favorable results are not achieved through your infertility treatment, then In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) may be an option. With In Vitro Fertilization, your sperm is either put into direct contact with an egg or it is actually injected inside of the egg, rendering sperm motility less of a factor. IVF has been very effective in helping couples experiencing infertility achieve pregnancy.

About the Author
About the Author: Dr. Eric Daiter (Daiter, Eric), the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT.