An Overview of Sperm and Fertility

When it comes to problems with fertility where doctors are able to pin down a specific cause of infertility, you may be surprised to know that as many as 40 percent of the time the problem is due to an issue with the male partner. Statistics suggest that it’s about the same for women, and that the remaining 20 percent of the time it’s due to a problem with both. Usually, when the problem has to do with the male partner, it’s an issue with his sperm.

The most common problem when it comes to male fertility, by far, is sperm count. The sperm count refers to the number of sperm per volume in a man’s semen. If there aren’t enough sperm, then none will survive the journey to the fallopian tubes where they can fertilize an egg and where conception can occur.

There are other potential problems with sperm, however. One has to do with the way the sperm move. This is known as “sperm motility.” Sperm with good motility move forward and they do so in a relatively quick manner. Sperm with low motility either don’t move forward, or they don’t move forward very quickly. This means that the sperm are more likely to die off before conception occurs.

The third possibility is that the man has abnormal sperm. Abnormal sperm are those sperm that are not shaped normally, or that may have other types of defects. These abnormal sperm may move just fine and there may be plenty of them, but when they do reach the egg they aren’t likely to actually be able to fertilize it.

There are some things a man can do to help out his sperm. Herbal and nutritional supplements may sometimes help with sperm count, motility or abnormality. There are also medical treatments, but they are relatively few and they tend to be very expensive.

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