To reach an egg, sperm have to swim. Motility is the lab's measure of that ability. A technician looks at a fresh drop of semen under a microscope and sorts sperm into three groups: progressive (swimming forwards, in a line or large circle), non-progressive (moving, but going nowhere much) and immotile (not moving).
Total motility is progressive plus non-progressive. Progressive motility is the figure clinicians usually care about most, because forward movement is what gets sperm through the cervix and up towards the egg. When motility is below the reference limit, the report may use the term asthenozoospermia.
The WHO 2021 lower reference limits are 42% total motility and 30% progressive motility, the 5th centile among more than 3,500 men whose partners had recently conceived.1 Some clinics also calculate a total motile sperm count: total sperm count multiplied by the percentage of motile sperm.
What is normal sperm motility?
At least 42% of sperm moving in total, and at least 30% swimming forwards, puts you at or above the WHO lower reference limits. Many fertile men have well over half their sperm moving.
Those limits mark the bottom 5% of a recently fertile population, and the researchers behind them are explicit that they are not a dividing line between fertile and subfertile men.1 A result a few points under the limit deserves a repeat test, not panic.
One large US study put motility below 32% in a "subfertile" range and above 63% in a "fertile" range, with everything in between indeterminate.2 Even so, fertile and infertile men overlapped heavily, and the authors concluded that no single measure could diagnose infertility.2
Does abstinence affect sperm motility?
Yes. Very long gaps between ejaculations are linked with lower motility, and some men with low counts have their best motility after a short gap.
An analysis of 9,489 semen samples found that in men with low sperm concentrations, average motility peaked at 30.3% after just one day of abstinence.3 In men with normal concentrations, motility and the share of normally shaped sperm were significantly lower after 11 to 14 days of abstinence.3 The authors suggested men with normal results should not go beyond 10 days before giving a sample.3
So the idea of "saving up" for better sperm does not hold for motility. See ejaculatory abstinence for more on the trade-offs.
Can you improve sperm motility?
Sometimes, by dealing with the things linked to poorer sperm. Not smoking is a sensible first step, and any change takes a couple of months to show up in a sample.
A 2016 meta-analysis of 20 studies and 5,865 men found smokers had lower sperm counts, lower motility (about 3.5 percentage points on average) and fewer normally shaped sperm; the effect was larger in moderate and heavy smokers.4 That is an association rather than proof that quitting will restore motility, but it is a sensible place to start.
Because sperm take weeks to form (see spermatogenesis), retest no sooner than a couple of months after a change. For supplements, our round-up of guide to supplement ingredients and the research covers the ingredients researched for sperm quality. Our guide to lifestyle factors and male fertility covers the rest.
Common questions
What is the difference between progressive and total motility?
Progressive motility counts only sperm swimming forwards. Total motility adds sperm that move without getting anywhere. The WHO 2021 lower limits are 30% progressive and 42% total.1
Is low sperm motility the same as infertility?
No. It can make conception take longer, but many men with below-reference motility still conceive naturally. A doctor will look at motility together with count, shape and your partner's fertility before drawing conclusions.2
When should I see a doctor about sperm motility?
If a repeat semen analysis still shows low motility, or you and your partner have been trying without success, ask your GP about a referral to a urologist or fertility clinic. See a doctor promptly for any testicular pain, lump or swelling.
Read more on this
Lifestyle factors that affect male fertility: a practical guide
Supplement ingredients for men’s sexual health: what the research shows
How long does it take sperm to regenerate?
Sources
- Campbell MJ, Lotti F, Baldi E, et al. Distribution of semen examination results 2020 - A follow up of data collated for the WHO semen analysis manual 2010. Andrology. 2021;9(3):817-822. PubMed
- Guzick DS, Overstreet JW, Factor-Litvak P, et al. Sperm morphology, motility, and concentration in fertile and infertile men. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(19):1388-1393. PubMed
- Levitas E, Lunenfeld E, Weiss N, et al. Relationship between the duration of sexual abstinence and semen quality: analysis of 9,489 semen samples. Fertil Steril. 2005;83(6):1680-1686. PubMed
- Sharma R, Harlev A, Agarwal A, Esteves SC. Cigarette smoking and semen quality: a new meta-analysis examining the effect of the 2010 World Health Organization laboratory methods for the examination of human semen. Eur Urol. 2016;70(4):635-645. PubMed
Not medical advice. Written by Eric Stephens from the research cited above; not reviewed by a doctor. If something worries you, see a GP.