70% of couples struggle to get pregnant and around 30% of infertility cases are said to be caused by male infertility. The top three conditions associated with this are low sperm count, slow sperm motility and abnormal morphology. To give you a better understanding of the three, we’ve created this short informative guide to help.
Low Sperm Count
As many of us know, sperm is what is needed to fertilise an egg and create a baby.
Most men are able to produce millions of new sperm every day. However, for some, this is far lower and limits their ability to conceive. This can come down to a range of reasons. Lifestyle (smoking, drinking and excessive exercise), genetics and physiology. It can also be due to age. As men age, they don’t lose the ability to produce sperm. However, the number of quality sperm that is produced deteriorates which can hinder their ability to conceive.
Slow Sperm Mobility
Healthy sperm moves at a pace of at least 25 micrometres per second. Asthenospermia or slow sperm mobility can reduce this, making movement slow or non-existent. When it isn’t able to move properly, it becomes harder for the sperm to swim to the egg and makes fertilisation difficult. The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought that lifestyle and environmental factors also play a big role. Smoking and repeated trauma or suppression to the pelvic area are examples.
Abnormal Morphology
This concerns the shape of sperm produced. A normal sperm cell is smooth, oval-shaped, smaller than the size of a needle point and has a well-defined cap. The neck, midpiece, or tail also present no functional challenges. Abnormal sperm on the other hand can have head or tail defects which affects their ability to reach and fuse with female eggs.
If you would like to learn about your fertility, we are able to perform a fertility test to determine if there are any underlying issues that you should be aware of. Get in touch to book an appointment with one of our experts.
