How does sperm motility affect conception success?

A healthy man and woman, without protection, can conceive a child in about six months. In approximately 30% of cases, pregnancy occurs within a year. But if planning already lasts longer, but the result is not, the spouses are advised to check their reproductive health.

In about 40% of cases, the reason for the lack of pregnancy lies in the low mobility of sperm. How it is determined and whether it can be improved, we will tell in this material.

Due to such property as motility, the male sex cells can move along the female's genital tract to the egg cell, which “waits” for them after leaving the follicle in the fallopian tube.

This path on a cellular scale is quite long and difficult. Only the most hardy and mobile sperm cells reach the destination.

Mobility depends on many factors: on the density of the seminal fluid, on the morphological properties of the spermatozoon itself. A cell with a normal structure is more likely to be quick and dexterous than a cell with tail or head deformities, impaired thickness of the sperm neck. By itself, the tail of the sperm does not move, without the influence from the outside, the cell will not move anywhere.

The tail cover is a proton channel. As soon as the ejaculate enters the vagina, the environment in which, it should be noted, is quite aggressive, the channels open and protons are released. Their task is to reduce the acidity of the vaginal secretions. By itself, the ejection gives the sexual cell a certain acceleration and makes the tail move.

The sperm accurately "knows" that he needs to swim to where the acidity is lower, that is, inside the uterus. The special system of analyzers of acidity, which sperm cells have at their disposal, “suggests” the right direction.

It should be noted that the proton channels were opened only recently. For quite a long time, physicians believed that the tail is moving on its own, by nature.

It is possible to establish the mobility of the male sex cells only in the laboratory when conducting a special analysis - spermograms. All sperm, while inside the gonads, completely immobile. When ejaculation occurs, they (under the action of a particular protein) are released from the dense environment and gain freedom of movement.

The ability of male germ cells to move is assessed by stringent criteria. Depending on them, all the sperm are divided into four large groups.

• Group A. These are the most active cells, best suited for fertilization of the female egg. They only advance straight at speeds of up to 25 micrometers per second. In the classification of doctors, they are called progressive or active-mobile.
• Group B. These are also quite mobile and active sperm cells, which differ from representatives of group A only in that their speed is slightly lower. However, they also move straight. Such sperm are also suitable for conception.
• Group C. Such germ cells do not move at all in the way they need for a successful conception. They either move, staying in place, or “travel” along a circular path, or move along a broken line in a zigzag. The classification classifies them as non-progressive. Conception with the participation of such cells is unlikely.
• Group D. The last group includes sperm, which do not move at all. They are called non-progressive. The chances of conception with sperm D are zero.

Male sperm is considered suitable for fertilization, if it contains at least 25% of cells of group A. If there are fewer such motile and active cells when conducting spermograms, they are summed up with cells of group B. For conception, it is quite sufficient if the spermatozoa of groups A and B together constitute at least 50% of the total number of germ cells in the ejaculate.

The notorious human factor and laboratory errors are excluded, because the calculation is not done by a man, but by powerful sperm analyzers, which with microscopic accuracy give the finished result.

The smaller the mobility of the cells, the harder it is to get pregnant. The probability of conception is calculated depending on the exact proportions.

In most laboratories, the number of sperm of groups C and D is not counted at all, limited to the selection of the percentage of cells A and B. In the event of a deviation from the norm, men are diagnosed with asthenozoospermia. This is one of the forms of male infertility and it necessarily needs treatment.

To establish the cause of low mobility of male germ cells allows the MAP test. It is by its results that one can judge the fertile abilities of a certain man. It should be noted that sedentary and immobile sperm are present in all. The question is only in their mass fraction.

A man who is faced with sperm dyskinesia naturally raises the question of why this happened to him. The reasons that cause a decrease in the activity of germ cells are conventionally divided into three types:

• pathological, caused by diseases;
• external;
• natural (physiological).

Natural causes of decreased activity of male reproductive cells are temporary and do not need treatment. Most often, sperm cells become inactive and less active in spring. During the day, the motility of the germ cells is also unequal: in the morning the sperm cells are less active than in the evening. Much depends on the frequency of sexual intercourse or masturbation. If a man has an active sex life, the composition of his sperm is updated more often, and, therefore, the sperm will be more active. Men who abstain for a long time cannot boast of motile and active sperm. These causes are easily corrected, they are not considered pathological.

Pathological causes are most often associated with diseases of the reproductive system: prostatitis, varicocele. Often the true cause of low mobility lies in the bacteria, for example, in E. coli, if it is found in the ejaculate. Bacteria cause agglutination (gluing cells together), as a result, mobility is lost. The problem may lie in the vas deferens, especially if there is a blockage of seminal vesicles.

Inflammatory processes of the reproductive organs of men almost always lead to a decrease in sperm activity. The most dangerous from this point of view is considered epididymitis.Inflammatory ailments of the epididymis directly affect spermatozoa, which until ejaculation is “stored” in a certain part of this epididymis, epididymis. Dangerous to male health and genital infections, including diseases, the course of which is sometimes invisible: chlamydia, ureaplasma and the like.

Sperm motility may decrease due to autoimmune processes. If there was an injury, even an insignificant one (for example, a blow to the groin during a fight), an immune process may start, during which antisperm antibodies will be produced that will suppress and destroy live and active spermatozoa, “confusing” them with alien cells. It can also adversely affect hormonal imbalances, problems with the thyroid gland, adrenal cortex, and overweight.

Congenital abnormalities are rarely found in men, for example, the “9 + 0” syndrome, in which a pair of microtubules is not initially at the genetic level in the tail of sperm, as well as mutations in the DNA of the spermatozoon. In most cases, with genetic pathologies, the germ cells are completely immobile, and the man is completely sterile. In this case, to help him become a dad can only artificial insemination of his wife with the use of donor sperm.

External causes of a decrease in the activity of germ cells in men are most often rooted in common male errors. If the representative of the stronger sex loves to visit the bath and bask in a hot bath for a long time, his testicles overheat, which leads to the appearance of a large number of slow-moving or immobile spermatozoa.

Those who like to drive in a car on a warm electrically heated seat also run into problems with conceiving offspring. Overheating of the testicles occurs at high temperatures, if, for example, a man is sick with influenza or ARVI. After treatment, it takes about three months for the sperm to renew its composition, and the dead cells change to live and active ones.

Similarly, narcotic substances also act on sperm. Marijuana is “famous” for its paralyzing effect on the sperm cell flagellum. Therefore, an experienced smoker may have difficulty reproducing offspring.

Reduce the activity of sperm and antibiotics, and anticonvulsants. Hormones have the most destructive effect on them; it is for this reason that young and strong athletes often have fruitlessness - the fascination with steroid hormones cannot pass without a trace for reproductive health.

At risk of asthenozoospermia are also lovers of dinner at a network of fast food restaurants. Any fast food, soda, canned foods contain a large amount of preservatives and dyes that destroy the structure of sperm. Negative effect on the composition of seminal fluid and the habit of drinking a lot of coffee.

Reduced sperm activity may be in men who work in hazardous production, have constant or prolonged contact with heavy metal salts, varnishes and paints, and radioactive radiation. Also, asthenozoospermia "lurks" for men who are very nervous, are in a state of chronic stress.

Increase the chances of conception will help timely and proper treatment. Fortunately, in most cases (both pathological and external origin), the motility of germ cells can be restored or at least improved. Today, there are several ways to activate sperm cells.

With a slight decrease in mobility, doctors try not to prescribe serious therapy, limited to recommendations for the correction of lifestyle and nutrition. Sometimes it is enough to eat normally for a month or two, avoiding fast food and alcohol, keep an active lifestyle, sleep at least 8 hours a day, change your “harmful” work to a safer one. Repeated spermogram (in most cases) shows a marked improvement, pregnancy occurs in the very near future.

As soon as the man eliminates the external negative impacts that were listed above, his reproductive health will improve and the germ cells will become much more active.

To improve sperm motility, men are prescribed drugs to increase the intensity of spermatogenesis. These include vitamins A, E, C, D, zinc, selenium, iron, and folic acid. These drugs can be taken separately, but it is also possible as part of a complex balanced and developed specifically for men. Additionally, they recommend tablets and capsules, which belong to dietary supplements and antioxidants and have a positive effect on the composition of the ejaculate. Such drugs include "Spermaktiv", "Spermaplant", "Proffertil" and others.

If the cause of sperm motility is in infection, first a course of treatment with antibiotics is prescribed, followed by supportive therapy with vitamins and agents that enable spermatogenesis to be activated. When varicocele is performed surgery, after which the cause of the pathology is considered to be eliminated, and the composition of sperm improves within a month.

Autoimmune asthenozoospermia is most difficult to correct. A man sometimes requires long-term treatment with drugs that suppress the activity of the immune system. In some cases, the result is not achieved and this is an indication for the use of assisted reproductive technologies - ICSI, IVF.

Treatment with folk remedies does not replace the main treatment, but may contribute to the achievement of a more rapid positive result. So, a man on an empty stomach will help to cause an increase in the mobility of the germ cells, fasting pumpkin juice, bee products, decoction of rose hips, as well as decoction of nine-sylph.

In the process of treatment, it is important for a man to maintain an active lifestyle, but not to burden himself with excessively large physical activities. Light jogging in the morning and evening will benefit, and lifting the bar or repair in the garage with your own hands is better to postpone to a later time. Only an integrated approach, which includes changing food habits, getting rid of bad habits, and taking vitamins, can have an effective effect.

Do not wait for quick results. As is known, the cycle of spermatogenesis lasts about 3 months. Find out whether it was possible to increase the activity of sperm, it is best after this period. Repeated spermogram will help check whether the treatment helped and, if necessary, the doctor, based on its results, will give new appointments.

For information on how to naturally increase sperm motility, see the following video.