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Can poor sperm progression affect male fertility?

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?

Kindly help.

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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:

  • Keep away from heat, chemicals, and smoking zones.
  • Avoid keeping the laptop on lap.
  • Wear loose undergarments.
  • Keep your testes cool by pressing them with a wet towel for five to 10 minutes daily.
  • Eat green vegetables and fruits.
  • These measures will increase your parameters.

For more information, consult an infertility specialist online.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

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?

Kindly help.

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor.

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

For more information, consult an infertility specialist online.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

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?

Kindly help.

Answered by Dr. Purushottam Sah

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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 sperm lose their speed within a few hours.

For more information, consult an infertility specialist online.

Thank you.

Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At December 1, 2017
Reviewed At June 25, 2026

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Purushottam Sah is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynecologist specializing in women’s reproductive health, pregnancy care, and the management of gynecological disorders. His expertise spans antenatal and postnatal care, high-risk pregnancy management, infertility evaluation, and advanced gynecological surgeries. He is proficient in both preventive and curative aspects of women’s health, ensuring safe deliveries, accurate diagnoses, and effective treatments. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, he is committed to supporting women at every stage of life, promoting wellness, and improving overall quality of care.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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