Sperm motility analysis

For a normal result, more than 50 percent of sperm must move normally an hour after ejaculation. Sperm movement, or motility, is important to fertility because sperm must travel to fertilize an egg. An automated system analyzes the sperm for movement and rates them on a scale of 0 to 4. A score of 0 means the sperm are not moving, and a score of 3 or 4 represents good movement.

Types of sperm mobility

Types of sperm mobility is given as below

• • Motility type A or grade 3 (+++) – sperm with progressive, rapid and rectilinear mobility.
  • Motility type B or grade 2 (++) – sperm that move progressively but slowly.
  • Motility type C or grade 1 (+) – sperm with slow and undisturbed mobility.
  • Motility type D or grade 0 – these are static or immobile spermatozoa, both living and dead.

Sperm motility becomes a concern when the total number mobile sperm (categories A, B, and C) are less than 40% of the semen sample, and the actual number of progressive sperm is less than 32% of the same.

Sperm vitality is the number of live sperm in the semen sample. And this parameter is even more vital should the sperm motility be lower than normal. At least 60% of the sperm in a semen sample must be alive on average for successful chances of conception.

Kartagener’s syndrome is a rare genetic disorder wherein all the sperm are immobile but not all of them are dead. The lack of mobility is due to an alteration in which the cells do not present ciliary movement, but whoever suffers it suffers its consequences in the respiratory tract so that one is aware of its condition before the search for pregnancy.

What happens when there are problems with sperm motility?

Asthenozoospermia is low sperm motility, which is the ability of the sperm to successfully reach the egg and fertilize it. The motility factors that are important for fertilization include – volume, motility, morphology, and others. There are many causes of Asthenozoospermia including – inflammation, varicoceles, abnormal liquefaction of the semen, abnormalities of the chromosomes, immunological factors, and others.

Can immobile sperm be alive?

Yes, it is possible that immobile sperm are alive and can be considered to be of good quality. In fact, live immobile sperm can be used to fertilize the eggs through ICSI if there is no motility available.

What is lazy sperm?

Essentially, a lazy sperm is one low motility and termed lazy, because they are slow. While, it is possible to achieve conception with lazy sperm, in some cases, it may be difficult and therefore required to use assisted conception methods.