Asthenozoospermia: How IVF+ICSI can be your ally in the search for paternity

Asthenozoospermia or asthenospermia is the decrease in the motility of the man's sperm and compromises fertility because it prevents them from moving to the ovum and penetrating it.

In Vitro Fertilization with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF+ICSI) offers the highest success rates to patients with asthenozoospermia, thanks to the fact that it prevents sperm from having to travel to fertilize the egg.

What is Asthenozoospermia?

Asthenozoospermia or asthenospermia is the decrease in the mobility of spermatozoa in men.

According to the World Health Organization, this is diagnosed when the number of motile spermatozoa with displacement is less than 50%, or when the number of motile spermatozoa with a rectilinear trajectory and speed of 25 µm/sec (micrometers per second) is less than 25%.

Asthenozoospermia is the most common seminal disorder and compromises fertility because it prevents sperm from traveling to the egg and penetrating it.

Causes of Asthenozoospermia

Although the causes of asthenozoospermia are not exactly known, we do know that sperm motility can be affected by factors such as:

• Teratozoospermia
• Varicocele
• Seminal infections
• Testicular problems
• Antisperm antibodies
• Bad nutrition
• Smoking
• Excessive use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, or other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana
• Exposure to toxic agents such as solvents or insecticides
• Age (sperm motility decreases after a man reaches age 45)
• Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• febrile episodes
• Prolonged exposure to heat in cars, saunas, or hot tubs

How is Asthenozoospermia diagnosed?

Asthenozoospermia can be diagnosed through a simple seminogram or semen analysis. It is recommended that the man has not ejaculated for three to five days before the analysis, but not for more than seven.

For fertilization to occur, the number of motile spermatozoa with displacement must be greater than 50 percent and the number of motile spermatozoa with a rectilinear trajectory and speed of 25 µm/sec must exceed 25 percent.

Comprehensive programs to have a baby at home when suffering from asthenozoospermia

Procedures to achieve a baby at home when you have asthenozoospermia include:

1. Artificial insemination, in which the man's previously trained spermatozoa are introduced into the woman's uterus just at the time of ovulation. Low motility sperm are activated by sperm capacitation, increasing the likelihood that they will reach and fertilize the egg. This method is used to facilitate fertility in couples with moderate asthenozoospermia and is only recommended when the woman is under 35 years of age.
2. In Vitro Fertilization, which allows the egg and sperm to be united in a laboratory dish and thus increases the probability of fertilization.
3. In Vitro Fertilization with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF+ICSI), which consists of injecting a single sperm directly into the cytoplasm of a mature ovum using a microscopic needle. This technique offers the highest pregnancy rates thanks to the fact that it prevents the sperm from having to travel to fertilize the egg.

The asthenozoospermia procedure should always be accompanied by advice for a healthy lifestyle, which in some cases can help restore fertility.