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What does poor sperm progression mean?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My semen test came back. The total sperm count is 54 m with motility of 5.5 % and progression of poor. What are my chances on IUI success? Post wash, the total sperm count was 12 m with a motility of 25 % and still poor progression. What does poor progression mean?

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

  • Your motile sperm count is 2.97 m/ml, and post-wash it is 3.0 m/ml. A motile sperm count of 5.0 m/ml or more is good.
  • Poor progression means the forward speed is low. However, poor progression is relevant if you try natural conception. In IUI (intrauterine insemination), sperms are directly injected into the uterine cavity and this factor becomes less important. The overall success rates for IUI are 30 to 50 % and varies from center to center.
  • Though your motile sperm count is low, yet you have some chance of success. Remember, even with good counts one may not get success.
  • Meanwhile, follow these tips:
  1. Keep away from heat, chemicals, and smoking zones.
  2. Avoid keeping the laptop on lap.
  3. Wear loose undergarments.
  4. Keep your testes cool by pressing them with a wet towel for five to 10 minutes daily.
  5. Eat green vegetables and fruits.
  6. These measures will increase your parameters.

For more information consult an infertility specialist online --> https://icliniq.com./ask-a-doctor-online/infertility-specialist

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

With IUI, does sperm progression matter at all? I thought they still need to move or swim to penetrate the egg and make it to the fallopian tube where the egg resides?

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

  • Yes, they need progression. Yours are not immobile. They are moving, albeit slowly.
  • What is seen in the lab is to get an idea. But, once inside the female genital tract, the sperms change a lot and acquire the capacity to fertilize and move forward.
  • But all said one cannot predict the success of IUI beforehand.

For more information consult an infertility specialist online --> https://icliniq.com./ask-a-doctor-online/infertility-specialist

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor.

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You are welcome.

For more information consult an infertility specialist online --> https://icliniq.com./ask-a-doctor-online/infertility-specialist

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

One more question. If I have to travel for a few days, can I produce a semen sample in a sterile cup and store it at room temperature to be used 24 hours later for IUI?

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

  • No, it cannot be done. If you want to travel, then you have to deposit the semen sample at the lab to be cryo (cold) preserved. At room temperature, the sperms lose their speed within a few hours.

For more information consult an infertility specialist online --> https://icliniq.com./ask-a-doctor-online/infertility-specialist

Answered byDr. Purushottam Sah

Medically reviewed byiCliniq medical review team

Published At December 1, 2017
Reviewed AtFebruary 6, 2024

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Purushottam Sah
Dr. Purushottam Sah

Obstetrics and Gynecology

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