Sperm quality measures the sperm’s ability to fertilize an egg. The sperm quality is evaluated by placing one drop of sperm in a counting chamber and analyzing it under a microscope.
What is sperm motility or MOT?
Sperm motility, also called MOT, is one of the parameters that help us measure the quality of the sperm. MOT is the amount of active sperm cells pr. milliliter sperm. This means that MOT20 sperm contains at least 20 million active sperm cells per milliliter sperm.
Most of Cryos’ sperm straws contain 0.5 milliliters of sperm. Therefore, if you buy a MOT20 sperm straw, you will get at least 10 million active sperm cells after thawing.
At Cryos, you can order sperm strws with MOT5, MOT10, MOT20, and MOT30+. This gives you the possibility of choosing the exact quality needed for your fertility treatment.
Which type of sperm motility should I choose for my fertility treatment?
Your choice of motility depends on the type of fertility treatment and your fertility clinic’s preference. Please consult your clinic regarding which MOT to choose for your treatment. Below you can see our general recommendations for each procedure when choosing sperm motility. You can also choose between ICI and IUI sperm. ICI sperm is often used for home insemination, while IUI sperm is recommended for treatments at fertility clinics. Follow the link to read more about the difference between ICI and IUI sperm.
| Procedure | Recommendation |
| Home insemination | 2 x ICI/IUI straw MOT10 or higher |
| IUI | 1 x IUI straw MOT10 or higher |
| IVF | 1 x IUI straw MOT5 or higher |
| ICSI | 1 x IUI straw MOT5 or higher |
How to measure sperm motility?
There are several ways to measure sperm motility and quality. When we receive a sample in our laboratory, we look at:
- The concentration of sperm cells
- The sperm cells’ ability to move
To ensure excellent sperm quality, we measure these parameters on a sample after it has been frozen and thawed as sperm may react differently to freezing. We measure the quality and motility of the sperm with the help of an automatic system called CASA (Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis), which ensures a very precise result.
However, sperm is a biological material and extremely sensitive to a number of factors, including temperature. This means that a variance in the exact motility can be expected when comparing two independent analyses of a sperm sample. At Cryos, we accept a difference of 20%. We always do our best to ensure that the number of active sperm cells equals the stated motility or more (e.g., a MOT10 straw includes at least 10 million active sperm cells per milliliter sperm), and in many cases, the sperm sample will prove to have higher motility than stated. However, if, after following our straw-handling protocol, your clinic finds that the post-thaw count shows a motility that is more than 20% lower than the stated motility of the sperm sample, your clinic can file a complaint. We will then, together with our laboratory staff, evaluate your claim.
Read more about sperm motility (MOT) here.
Did you find the answers to your questions?
If you have any questions regarding the use of donor sperm for fertility treatment or home insemination, please contact our Customer Care and we will find the answers to any questions you may have.