Can I father a child with 0% sperm motility?

Q: I am a 31 years old male, married for six years, facing fertility issues. My 30 years old wife’s reports are normal. She weighs 87 kg and has been asked to lose weight. My sperm analysis states: pH: 7.5, sperm count: 55 mil/ejc, motility: 28 per cent and rapid linear motion is 0%. Two years back, I was diagnosed with varicocoele, which was treated by a surgery. After that my sperm count improved but the linear motion in still 0%. The urologist has told me that at least 10% linear motion is required for fathering one’s own child. Is it so? Will I ever be able to father a child?

A:Linear sperm motility is indeed an important seminal parameter for successful normal pregnancy, as well as successful outcome after intrauterine insemination. You must have yourself as well as your semen re-examined. It is not uncommon to have unresolved or a recurrence of varicocoele, apart from other factors like local inflammations or antisperm antibodies as a cause of poor seminal quality. If linear progression remains poor despite all efforts, it may mean that alternative methods of assisted fertilization may have to be resorted to for a successful pregnancy.