Asthenozoospermia (or asthenospermia) is the medical term for reduced

sperm Sperm (: sperm or sperms) is the male reproductive Cell (biology), cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm ...

motility Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently using metabolism, metabolic energy. This biological concept encompasses movement at various levels, from whole organisms to cells and subcellular components. Motility is observed in ...

. Complete asthenozoospermia, that is, 100% immotile spermatozoa in the ejaculate, is reported at a frequency of 1 of 5000 men. Causes of complete asthenozoospermia include metabolic deficiencies, ultrastructural abnormalities of the sperm flagellum (see

Primary ciliary dyskinesia Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic ciliopathy, that causes defects in the action of cilia lining the upper and lower respiratory tract, sinuses, Eustachian tube, middle ear, fallopian tube, and flagella of spe ...

) and necrozoospermia. It decreases the

sperm quality Semen quality is a measure of male fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, ...

and is therefore one of the major causes of

infertility In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to Sexual reproduction, reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, whi ...

or reduced fertility in men. A method to increase the chance of pregnancy is ICSI. The percentage of viable spermatozoa in complete asthenozoospermia varies between 0 and 100%.

DNA fragmentation

Sperm Sperm (: sperm or sperms) is the male reproductive Cell (biology), cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm ...

DNA fragmentation DNA fragmentation is the separation or breaking of DNA strands into pieces. It can be done intentionally by laboratory personnel or by cells, or can occur spontaneously. Spontaneous or accidental DNA fragmentation is fragmentation that gradually a ...

level is higher in men with

sperm motility Sperm motility describes the ability of sperm to move properly through the female reproductive tract (internal fertilization) or through water ( external fertilization) to reach the egg. Sperm motility can also be thought of as the ''quality'', wh ...

defects (asthenozoospermia) than in men with

oligozoospermia Terms oligospermia, oligozoospermia, and low sperm count refer to semen with a low concentration of sperm and is a common finding in male infertility. Often, semen with a decreased sperm concentration may also show significant abnormalities in sper ...

teratozoospermia Teratospermia or teratozoospermia is a condition characterized by the presence of sperm with abnormal morphology that affects fertility in males. Causes The causes of teratozoospermia are unknown in most cases. However, Hodgkin's disease, coeliac ...

. Among men with asthenozoospermia, 31% were found to have high levels of DNA fragmentation. As reviewed by Wright et al., high levels of DNA fragmentation have been shown to be a robust indicator of

male infertility Male infertility refers to a sexually mature male's inability to impregnate a fertile female. Male infertility can wholly or partially account for 40% of infertility among couples who are trying to have children. "A problem with the male is the s ...

DHA

In 2015, Eslamian et al. found a correlation between the composition of the sperm lipid membrane and the odds of having asthenozoospermia. The sperm that have more polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) shown better fertility results. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an acid formed by six double bonds which allows the fluidity of the membrane, necessary for the fusion with the ovule. Studies in mice have shown that DHA is essential for acrosome reaction and a DHA deficiency results in abnormal sperm morphology, loss of motility and infertility; which can be restored by dietary DHA supplementation. Furthermore, the supplementation with DHA in humans has been reported to increase sperm motility. But also, DHA supplementation can protect spermatozoa against the damage caused by the cryopreservation process.

References

External links

GP Notebook

{{Authority control Testicular infertility factors