Relation Between Spermatozoa Motility and Pregnancies Obtained During a Twenty-year Follow-up Period Spermatozoa Motility and Fertility

Abstract

The clinical fertility of 1077 men with an infertility problem investigated with semen analysis including assessment of spermatozoa motility was studied 20 yr later using a questionnaire, replied to by 785 (72.9%). Spermatozoa motility was assessed with a subjective method with 4 degrees - excellent, good, impaired and poor. There were significant correlations between better motility and number of living children (P < 0.01) and to shortest time interval to 1st pregnancy (P < 0.001). Motility was not correlated to abortions and otherwise pathological pregnancies. With a poor motility there was still a fairly good chance of producing living children (32.7%) compared with 58.7% for an excellent motility. Assessment of spermatozoa motility is only suited for classification of slightly and modestly reduced male fertility, and not for classification of severely impaired fertility.