When I first heard about The Great Sperm Race and was asked to comment on the Good Morning ITV programme, I was a bit hesitant.  Doctors are generally rather sniffy about popularism, because we tend to think that if it is not ‘scientific’, it must be ‘bad’, but I was wrong.

Although some of the images were questionable, the message was sensible and accessible.

Is the fastest sperm always the best sperm?

Well, generally yes, because the total motile sperm count is a good predictor of natural conception.  That is not the whole story, because when the sperm gets to the egg it needs to be carrying good DNA to make a good embryo.  So there are some men with an apparently ‘normal sperm count’ who still have difficulty, and so my lot, the doctors, still have a role in ‘unexplained infertility’.

We probably also have a role when there are relatively easy natural conceptions and recurrent early miscarriages.  There is plenty of sperm, but perhaps it is not entirely competent.

What about the sperm’s contribution to recurrent miscarriage?

Traditionally, recurrent miscarriage or, as it is now known, recurrent pregnancy loss or RPL, has been assumed to be a female issue, and often it is.  But recent information is beginning to suggest that a particular type of DNA damage in the sperm may be a factor – so the faster sperm might not always be the best.  It might depend on what he does after he crosses the line!

I enjoyed the programme and listening to the two contestants.  The important message was that they had prepared themselves for the race by altering their lifestyles.  It is certainly worth men ‘going into training’ before they embark upon their journey.

And I wish you all well on your journeys.