The health condition of the male reproductive cell is essential for IVF treatment. Each man has a different quantity and quality of sperm that is required for fertilization. It can vary for individuals. However, this can be varied due to several factors like age, lifestyle, and fertility rate.
The quality of sperm is vital rather than quantity. According to the WHO, a healthy man can have a sperm quantity of at least 15 million per milliliter, or at least 39 million sperm in a single ejaculation, which is considered to be fertile. In this article, we can explore minimum sperm motility for IVF in detail
What is the Minimum Sperm Motility for IVF treatment?​
It is significant to check sperm motion as well as quality variables in the fertilization process. A sterility test has to be taken for a male to understand the components of sperm cells. Sperm movement can be noticed in semen examination. In IVF treatment, sperm quality is also vital for checking any abnormality in DNA. They cover:
- Sperm count
- Sperm morphology (teratozoospermia)
- Sperm motility
Sperm motility should be at least 40%, per a certain semen assay. The term “teratozoospermia” describes the sperm’s size and shape. Motility is the capacity of sperm to advance in their swimming motion. The ovulation of the egg from an ovary is the optimal period for fertilization. During this time, if a sperm meets the egg, it can be fertilized. The movement of the sperm is crucial for getting pregnant. If a sperm can’t reach the egg, the fertilization is not possible.Â
In semen analysis, the following factors are to be evaluated:
| Factors | Description |
|---|---|
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Percentage motile
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It determines the percentage of moving sperm in a single ejaculation. |
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Percentage motile concentration
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It tells the percentage of moving sperm in one measurement of semen, millions of cells per milliliter. |
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Total motile sperm count
|
Number of sperm cells that are swimming in a single ejaculation of a given sample.
|
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Average path velocity |
Speed of the moving sperm cells. Usually, velocity is calculated in microns per second.
|
How Does Sperm Motility Impact IVF?
The sperm is extracted and injected directly into the egg in IVF, avoiding swimming into the tubes, and helps to directly penetrate the egg. For this, sperm quality is important. In the IVF process, even though the motility of the sperm is low, only healthy sperm can be directly injected into the egg. If the DNA quality of the sperm is abnormal, achieving pregnancy can be delayed even in IVF/ICSI.Â
The abnormal shape of the sperm is reflected in low sperm count or motility. however, IVF-positive pregnancy is still with teratozoospermia. The abnormal shape of the sperm can be identified through only semen analysis. It will be a part of any fertility treatment.
However, successful pregnancies can still be possible even when having abnormal sperm. Couples may doubt whether their infertility issues may transfer to their offspring. Genetic causes may be transferred by injecting the sperm. This can be avoided by taking the proper test before the IVF process. Any abnormalities can be identified in the IVF process. It is safe to consider IVF treatment.
When to Consider Alternative Options
Before considering other options, let us see why IVF fails.
- AGE: Age is the common factor that leads to failure of IVF treatment. When women cross age 35+, the egg quality may also fall. The poor egg quality may lead to pessimistic outcomes of the treatment.
- EMBRYO QUALITY: The fitness of the embryo can be tested through PGS testing before the implantation process.Â
- QUALITY OF SPERM: The good physical condition of sperm is also an important factor in the artificial reproductive process. The motility of the sperm must be crucial for this.
- OVARIAN RESERVE: The poor ovarian response can also impact the fertility process. The development of less than 4 follicles even though giving medications or trigger shots. This leads to failure.
- UTERINE FACTORS: The uterine allows the implanted embryo for further development and growth. But if you see any abnormalities in this section, it may also fail.
- OTHER FACTORS: Many people fail IVF treatment because of not balancing the external factors such as lifestyle changes, overweight gain, inadequate healthy foods and poor diet, stress, and unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking liquor, etc.
Another alternative method after failed IVF:
- It is a tough process that any couple can go through in IVF failure.Â
- It is advised to take a short break and focus on their self-care. They can enroll themselves in activities that they are interested in or what they like to do more of.
- After some time, they may check their failure report with a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist. They may offer better guidance and suggest other specialty treatments.
- From the first IVF treatment, your healthcare provider may freeze the embryo or egg for future treatments.
- The alternatives to IVF are intrauterine insemination, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, donor egg or donor sperm, and gestational surrogacy.Â
- Gestational surrogacy is also advised for couples using a surrogate mother with the intended egg and sperm.
Conclusion
Modern reproductive technologies have many advantageous opportunities to have a healthy baby, like in natural conception. Even in more hardships, it supports couples to achieve parenthood. If your progress fails, don’t worry about that; try alternative methods irrespective of any factors. Or continue your IVF for a second time as per the suggestions of your fertility specialist.
FAQ's
Yes. IVF can be successful with low motility, but the criteria for sperm quality are at least 30-40%.
With the proper guidance of a fertility specialist, you can expect positive pregnancy result. Even though the sperm motility is 2%.
Yes. Low sperm motility is easily fixed through medications, lifestyle conditions, and surgeries.
