Hi ladies -
My husband and I are trying to get pregnant, and we have had a couple losses, and we are both a bit older (39/38). I had him go to our GP to get a SA, as we are hoping to hold off on RE as long as possible. Our GP says it's "fine" but what I read online is conflicting (esp regarding the morphology) - perhaps I can get some insight here? Posting pic of the results. Any input greatly appreciated!
kiwi / 714 posts
I agree that the number seems really low, but the given ranges line up with being in good fertility range so if your doctor says it's okay, I'd go with that. I'm by no means an expert or anything though and I totally understand why the conflicting information would be frustrating
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
I believe in the realm of infertility, even my husband's SA of 4% of normal sperm is at the cusp of whether or not some RE's will consider it a true issue. I think the general thinking is it takes only one sperm to make a baby. So I think 7% is more 'normal' than a lower number.
If you want a true assessment, I would see an RE. That would be my advice. After 3 years of IF and two clinics, 6 failed IUIs and finally one successful IVF which gave me my miracle twins, I would trust an RE over an OB.
Oh, because of your age and your losses, I would think a RE would have no qualms about looking at your case. Not that there is anything wrong with your age because there are a bunch of HBers who have gotten pregnant without help. I didn't see an RE until I was closer to 12 cycles of trying and I was 28. I'm just saying there's nothing wrong in seeing an RE at your point. It might reduce the heart ache if you are trying 1-3 years from now. It sucks at any age.
pear / 1767 posts
My fertility issues weren't related to male factor but my husband had a slightly higher than normal abnormal percentage. However, our RE said he was not concerned because of the quantity from the count (the concentration) was well above normal (thus meaning that there were plenty of good sperm in the sample too). It looks like this is the case for your husband as well. The recommendation from the RE for my husband to help with morphology was for him to take CoQ10. We never had our results repeated so I don't know if that ended up helping but that might be something to try.
pear / 1767 posts
@oskarsmommy: Just found my husband's results in a stack of papers. He was at 12% normal and 88% abnormal and they want to see at least 14% normal. His count was 176.5 mil/ml and his motility was 70% and the director of andrology at the RE's office noted that his count and motility were excellent and that there was a mild reduction in morphology but that it was consistent with fertility. As noted earlier, it says "may consider use of CoQ10." Like I said before, my RE said that count and motility can make up the morphology issues.
cherry / 174 posts
It looks like they were using the Kruger method, which is really really strict about which sperm are shaped "abnormally". Basically, even sperm that could go either way they immediately classify as abnormal.
My husband's morphology was 1% and we ended up doing IUIs. Like your husband, he had really good numbers for concentration and motility. IUI is what's recommended in these situations. (They actually recommend IVF with ICSI for morphology below 4%. We opted to try IUI first anyway.)
If you have been trying for awhile, and/or if you are experiencing heartache/stress with failed cycles, I would definitely recommend seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist.
Recommendations from our RE to try reversing poor morphology:
- No briefs. Boxer shorts only. No long bike rides, no hot tubs, no laptop on the lap. Heat is bad for sperm.
- Cut back on the alcohol.
- Avoid exposure to bad chemicals.
An important thing to remember is that morphology numbers can go up or down a few points from month to month, and even from lab to lab. One single score is not the end-all/be-all. If you go to an RE, they'll probably want to repeat the test with their own lab (which sucks, because ugh, expensive; but is great, because now you can get confirmation).
Anyway, that was a lot. I ended up doing a lot of research on sperm when we went through this. So if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
kiwi / 625 posts
can anyone tell me what the count was? was it 170? 884? That's what we don't know how to decipher..
cherry / 174 posts
@oskarsmommy: His total count was 884. The lab calculates the total count by multiplying his volume (which was 5.2 mL, which is really good) by his concentration (which was 170 million per milliliter, also good.)
ETA: I know, it's confusing. "Sperm Count" can be used interchangeably with "Sperm Concentration", while "Total Sperm Count" is the sperm count (concentration) x volume.
kiwi / 625 posts
@magnoliamama42: oh wow.. ok, thanks.
I am awaiting my AMH (nervously) but everything else has checked out great.. I think it is just a matter of timing & 
cherry / 174 posts
@oskarsmommy: Since his concentration and volume are so high, the effects of his low morphology are lower. Because, I mean, if you think about it: 7% of 884 million is still A LOT.
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