What are the factors that affect sperm survival rate?

The reproductive health problems of modern people are becoming more and more prominent, causing many people to have reproductive problems, especially the probability of male fertility problems has greatly increased, making many men face great pressure. For example, low sperm survival rate is a problem encountered by many men. This is a very difficult problem to solve for those who want to have offspring. Let's take a look at the factors that affect sperm survival rate.

1. Reproductive system infection: Reproductive system infection can lead to inflammation of the reproductive system, such as prostatitis, seminal vesiculitis, epididymitis, and urethritis. These inflammations can cause semen mutation, making the pH, oxygen supply, nutrition, and metabolism of semen unfavorable for sperm activity and survival. For example, the reduction of magnesium, zinc, citric acid, and fructose in semen and the increase of pH value will affect the sperm survival rate.

2. Varicose vein: Varicose vein causes local testicular hypoxia due to venous blood reflux obstruction. In addition, the increase in prostaglandins and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels in the venous blood can also cause a decrease in sperm survival rate. Varicose vein causes an increase in scrotal temperature, which can also reduce sperm survival rate.

3. Production of anti-sperm antibodies: Anti-sperm antibodies refer to the "self-defense" produced by men themselves, which causes the immune system to produce antibodies, causing sperm to agglutinate or stop, making it difficult for sperm to survive, thereby resulting in a low sperm survival rate.

4. Testicular development is blocked: Before puberty, the pituitary gland secretes insufficient gonadotropin. Testicular biopsy shows that the seminiferous tubules are composed of undifferentiated primitive supporting cells and primitive spermatogenic cells, lacking interstitial cells. The manifestations are incomplete maturity or damage and thinning of the testicular spermatogenic epithelium, poor sperm quality, and weakened vitality. For those who have testicular atrophy due to pituitary lesions after puberty or excessive androgen or estrogen treatment, the early changes in testicular biopsy are thickening of the lamina propria and spermatogenic degeneration, and the late changes are hardening of the seminiferous tubules and atrophy of interstitial cells. The manifestations are small and soft testicles, small amount of semen and no sperm. All of these lead to low sperm survival rate.

5. Trace element deficiency: Zinc is an essential trace element for the human body, especially in testicular development, sperm formation, and maintaining sperm motility. Selenium plays an important role in the human enzyme system and immune system. It is an important component of glutathione peroxidase in seminal plasma (this enzyme can prevent the formation of lipid peroxidation in sperm membrane, so that sperm has good morphology and function), and can neutralize the toxicity of cadmium and mercury to reproductive organs. The deficiency of these two trace elements will lead to low sperm survival rate.