What is low sperm motility?
Sperm motility refers to the ability for a man’s sperm to swim properly. While many people consider the importance of sperm count when it comes to male fertility and infertility, sperm motility matters just as much in many cases.
Why Sperm Motility Is Important for Male Fertility
If a man’s sperm is unable to swim effectively, it makes natural conception much more difficult. The sperm is simply not able to reach the egg because of its poor motility, often barely passing the vaginal canal. A man may be otherwise fertile save for this particular issue.
Are there symptoms of low sperm motility?
The only obvious symptom of low sperm motility is trouble getting pregnant despite proper timing of intercourse and there not being any evidence of female infertility. This generally indicates a problem with a man’s sperm, and is called Male Factor infertility. That aside, there aren’t any symptoms of low sperm motility you can see with the naked eye. Your doctor will have to analyze a semen sample for microscopic analysis to see the “symptoms.”
What causes low sperm motility?
Some of the causes of low sperm motility are:
- Stress, anxiety and worry
- Hyperthermia (i.e., overheating of your testicles)
- Endocrine (hormone) imbalance
- Urological problems
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Being overweight
- Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, recreational drug use
- Certain medications
- Genetic factors (e.g., cystic fibrosis, Klinefelter syndrome, Kartagener syndrome)
Does acupuncture treat low sperm motility?
- Treatment plans include a series of acupuncture treatments, Chinese herbal formulas, proper exercise programs, specific dietary recommendations and stress reductio
Ideally the minimum course of treatment for men is three months. But improvements in sperm quality and quantity can occur rapidly making acupuncture a complement to increasing successful intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.- Acupuncture can be started any time during an assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycle.
- Chinese medicine treats the whole person. It can inhance the energy. By moving the whole body toward better health the sperm is also in better health.
- During a course of acupuncture treatments you can expect to feel better overall including increased energy, better quality sleep and less stress. Healthier bodies make healthier sperm. Even when IVF and ICSI are required to conceive, sperm can become healthier and ART procedures can be more effective with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine