No LyndsayS - not too late! oooh so they can do something about antibodies then!!!?? The consultant basically said once you have them - thats it - no treatment. full stop. Buuut he is a gynae consultant so maybe he doesn't know about steroids - did a urologist prescribe them to him?
I think we will prob need AI but will have to pay for it (easier said than done)
Too late Pink?? Sorry, have been so busy, haven't had chance to be on here.
We've been ttc for 19 months. You've described my dh's situation - antibodies, hence the steroids. He's finished his 7 week course now, and I think we might start seeing the results in July/Auguts. I've just finished round 2 of clomid, so maybe I'll be getting better ov-ing. Who knows. Getting rather despondent, and just wish that we could get this bit over with (the bit that we aren't very good at!) and get onto AI....
Lol pinkmook at "one crap sperm". For the record this is how long it took to conceive each time:
1 5 months - resulting in dd 2 3 months - mc 11w 3 12 months - mc 10w 4 2 months - mc 7w 5 10 months (fingers crossed!)
In fairness, dh's sperm was tested between bd'ing and the bfp this time, so it is possible that it wasn't as crap as it is now when the previous four were conceived. And my eggs were younger too.
Thanks also deux - good to know though it has freaked me out slightly. Apparently dna fragmentation is reversible too, if only I could keep dh on the straight and narrow, but need to just keep thinking positive thoughts about beanie at the moment.
WOOHOOOOO Katie! I bet you cant wait! Are you travelling far for it? We had to go to newcastle for DH's op so had consultation done on day of surgery.
sperm up duffing should meet WHO minimums which are:
Sperm count
Sperm count measures how many sperm are in a man's ejaculate. Anything over 20 million sperm per milliliter is considered normal.[2][1] Anything less is considered oligospermia. A vasectomy is considered successful if the sample is azoospermic, or if only rare non-motile sperm are observed (fewer than 100,000 per milliliter).[7]
[edit] Motility
The motility of the sperm is evaluated. WebMD defines normal motility as 50% of observed sperm, or at least 8 million per milliliter, showing good forward movement.[2] For instance, a man can have a total amount (sperm count) of far over the limit of 20 million sperm cells per milliliter, but still have bad quality, because too few of them are motile. However, if the sperm count is very high, then a motility of less than 50% might not matter, because the fraction might still be more than 8 million per milliliter. The other way around, a man can have a sperm count far less than 20 million sperm cells per milliliter and still have good motility, if more than 60% of those observed sperm cells show good forward movement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria are that normal motility is when at least 50% of observed sperm move forward normally.[1]
[edit] Morphology
The morphology of the sperm is also evaluated. With WHO criteria, a sample is normal if 15% or more of the observed sperm have normal morphology.[1] If morphology is evaluated using the strict criteria developed by Dr. Thinus Kruger,[8] a sample is normal if 14% or more of the observed sperm have normal morphology.[1]
CAn my Dh have a T-Shirt with "Trapped Sperm" on ? He is in for his consultation for his reversal on SATURDAY !!! Just a bit excited lol So what is good sperm then, is there a minimum required to get you up duffed ?
Hi LyndsayS, yep come in, make yourself comfy its like the home for destitute reproductive organs in here!
My DH hasn't been prescribed anything yet, not sure they can actually prescribe anything as his crap sperm is the result of a vasectomy (and subsequent reversal) which cuases scarring (therefore preventing the little buggers getting out) and sperm antibodies (probably - having more tests to confirm this at the mo) which bind to them and stop them from swimming (which is caused by sperm escaping from the cut ends into the pelvic cavity and the body seeing them as a foreign body and developing stuff to kill them!
Also looks like I'm not Ov'ing too so under the care of a gynaecology consultant at the mo but not due to go see him again til August
Can I join in?? We're both crap - well, mixed results on me (for 7 months now I've been told I'm not ov-ing, but then they gave me clomid last month (just started 2nd cycle today) but said that I am ov-ing....). But my dh has low motility because of his white blood cells killing them off...
So, he's been on a course of steriods for 6 weeks now (1 week left). Have any of your dh's been prescribed anything? He doesn't smoke, never taken drugs & doesn't drink much... He's 41 though..
Thanks pinkmook - I told dh about the comments on this thread and he says he is thinking of having a t-shirt made with "Free the crap sperm one" on the front
Anyhoo - I am 38 and dh is nearly 42. His stats are 9 million sperm, 20% motility and 1% normal morphology. What he does have is plenty of volume. But, as I've said before, with these undoubtedly rubbish stats he has knocked me up five times and so far one of those occasions resulted in a happy, healthy dd (and I'm keeping my fingers crossed about the current pg). So I think there is hope for everyone!
Sorry wannabe I have to disagree too....My ovaries are crap! We joke about it...and his crap sperm, we are a fertility disaster!
As down but not out says - you cant possibly comment on someone else's relationship in this way as you haven't met,seen, experienced the struggle we've had, we deal with it in our own way and calling my ovaries crap and his sperm rubbish actually de-personalises it in a way since thats not really about blaming each other, its about blaming the notion of an organ /cells we can't even see.
I'm going to have to disagree with you there wannabe as I honestly don't believe it is in any way possible for you to know what is harsh for either me or dh without knowing us personally or what we have been through together.
My ovaries probably are crap - I have had three mcs after all ....
I would feel upset if my ovaries were called crap.
My DH says his sperm is in abundance but going the wrong way!! We do laugh about it!!
Story of hope......
my friends DH had an AWFUL (not crap!!) sperm analysis- forgot about TTC as it seemed impossible. Their DD is 5 months, and her DH didnt even give up smoking some people are born lucky!!!
at the risk of sounding harsh here, while I know that one has to retain a sense of humour after ttc for a long time, I do think it's slightly unfair to refer to dh's sperm as crap.
I think dh's are under an immense amount of pressure to perform and to put up with the endless emotions of the ttc process, so when the problem is theirs they find it very hard to deal with, even though they may seem ok about it all on the surface.
If the problem was yours and your dh referred to you as having crap ovaries wouldn't it touch a nerve somewhat?
My DH has had a sperm analysis last year- 117 million sperm per ml but only 6% morphology - however clinic said not to worry as quantity makes up for it- is that right? think ive got that right. not sure if thats a dodgy result or not but have got him on loads of vits and no alcohol anyway.
Anyway, we have conceived, I miscarried but after 15 months we got there. Checked out the lesley reagen info on this and she says no- if the sperm was dodgy it wouldnt even get to the stage of penetrating the egg.
I was worried about this too. Now am just worried about TTC again!!! We are just gonna do the same as before- shag like rabbits. It does absolutely no harm to quantity of sperm but can improve quality cos it gives the little buggers more space- zita west says so, so it must be true!! worked for us anyway.
For what its worth and I'm sure Chocolate will agree cos she is an absolute guru (waves at chocolate- meant to CAT you but my subscription ran out, need to renew) EVERY man in England has prob got a little bit on his SA that is not up to scratch but they are being made all the time SO you can change it!!
Badges...yes please!! however I'm not sure DP would appreciate me advertising the fact!!
When I first joined MN I asked about bad sperm and no-one else seemed to be in same boat...glad to know someone else is in same boat...although not good for you!
Badges...yes please!! however I'm not sure DP would appreciate me advertising the fact!!
When I first joined MN I asked about bad sperm and no-one else seemed to be in same boat...glad to know someone else is in same boat...although not good for you!
Hi downbutnotout can I join the crap sperm club?! (and my DP knows how I refer to his little swimmers - or floaters cos they just won't move - and he doesn't mind!!)
He also has poor motility and 94% levels of abnormality!
But to answer your question poor quality sperm has no implication on an embryo. The quality of the DNA is not affected, just there ability to move and do the job! Once your egg has been feritlised its the same as if he had 100% perfect sperm! We had this conversation with doctor when we found out.
And my partner is blaming himself for taking too many drugs in his youth (he was a proper rebel!!) and now drinking more than he should...but changing habits now can make a difference!
I'm not going to criticise because you do get to the point where you look at your partner and think 'hang on a second...I'm the one going through the majority of the hardship here and you aren't helping getting pissed'
I do understand your view on that - but you kind of have to accept people as they are. He's probably been the way he has for a while now. Is it worth changing husband to get one with different faults? Probably not.
There is a book called 'Zita West's Guide to getting pregnant ' which has a lot of info about sperm health and lifestyles for conception.
And for what it's worth when you've been ttc a healthy baby for three years, a little disrespectful levity is essential for maintaining your sanity, imho.
No. Actually the opposite is true, the most potent sperm are the ones that make the trip safely the rest die on the way mostly. It's very unlikely that crap sperm caused your miscarriages.
The other thing to say is that sperm quality can improve. DH had high volumes but low semen levels - so lots of swimmers but no pool to swim in. They need it for food and to protect them from the cells that the vagina keeps specially for killing invaders (yep I know sounds a bit like star wars - and it is).
Too much alcohol and fags won't help, but quite honestly, I'd say that there would be a lot less kids in the world if this is all it took to stop conception!
But if you both looked at your lifestyle, perhaps you'd get further anyway. Or in any case you'd both feel better.
BTW, we were told we couldn't possibly conceive without IVF, we both have problems - I'm 32 weeks with my second baby and have had two miscarriages. Luck of the draw I say!
But seriously, dh is philosophical about his <whisper> poor quality sperm <end whisper> given his lifestyle choices and the fact he has managed to get me pregnant five times.
But I do really want to know whether poor quality sperm make poor quality embryos - does anyone know the answer?
We have 1 dd (4) and 3mcs since and I am currently 5.5 weeks pg. As it was taking a long time for me to get pg this time we embarked on fertility tests, but with impeccable timing I then conceived.
The thing is we have now got the test results back and apparently dh's sperm are rubbish: not enough, poor motility, high abnormalities. No great surprise as he has smoked for nearly thirty years and likes a drink or five. BUT I am wondering: could this possibly have a bearing on the mcs - are we conceiving unhealthy embryos due to poor quality sperm?
Hoping for some enlightenment, as I'm wondering what the prospects of the current pg are....
at the risk of sounding harsh here, while I know that one has to retain a sense of humour after ttc for a long time, I do think it's slightly unfair to refer to dh's sperm as crap. 
