Assessment of Sperm Motility

 

Testing is done usually immediately after complete liquefaction.

 

Sperm mobility may be described using 4 or 5 grades.

 

Parameters:

(1) motion

(2) forward progression

(3) speed

 

Motion	Forward Progression	Speed	Grade
absent	NA	NA	0
present	none	NA	1
present	forward or aimless	slow	2
present	forward	moderate	3
present	forward, straight	high speed	4

 

where:

• The WHO grading scheme uses “a”, “b”, “c” and “d”, where “a’ corresponds to Grade 4, “b” to Grade 2, “c” to Grade 1 and “d’ to Grade 0.

 

Usually at least 200 spermatozoa are counted and categorized, examining several fields.

 

Causes of a false mobility study:

(1) testing temperature too high or too cold (not 37°C)

(2) delay between collection and testing (less than 1 hour preferred, more than 2 hours a problem)

(3) improper temperature control during transport

(4) toxic compound in container

(5) inexperience of the observer