Sperm chit-chat. Low count, low morphology, low motility - anyone had success after these diagnoses?

[Bearface]

Hello

I just wanted to instigate a sperm chat because my DH's SA has come back with low count (11.5 mill) and low morphology (3%). We were told that it is 'highly unlikely' that I'll get upduffed with current counts.

He also has a varicocele which is being investigated by GP via a consultant.

DH is on Wellman vits, no hot baths, loose pants and trousers, etc. We're looking into Pycnogenol and L-Glutathione as supplements. He's not overweight or unfit and hardly drinks. Doesn't smoke either.

Anyway, stats aside, I just wondered if anyone had any success stories they wanted to share? Or any tips or advice?

Thanks x

[suzanaposta]

Hi everyone,

Just signed up and I am happy to have found some information with regards to SA. My DH has had the results back from his first one and according to a useless doctor it is not bad but after some online research I am not too sure what to think.
I asked for a copy so I can look it up myself, cuz he just wouldn't tell us anything useful no matter how we phrased the question. Could either of you give me some more info?
For motility is say:
Progressive: 17
Non-progressive: 5
Non-motile:78
Viability: 32% live

Concentration: 0.300x 106/mL

Morphology
Normal: 0
Abnormal:100
Comment: head and tail defects overlong line have been split into multiple lines after 70 chars.

We have been trying for a baby for a year now and nothing. We've been together for 6 years and haven't used any contraception.
Does it sound as bad as I think or are there any chances for us? with the morphology does it mean he has 0% normal sperm?
The doctor said that he will have to redo the test in 2 months time as this ''batch'' might be ''faulty'' and will need to see another result.

[keepitgoing]

Hi mrsden I remember you calming me down blooming ages ago when we had my dh'd sperm results. All the best with your I so cycle.

My duh has high count and volume, but 3-4% morphology until recently. We were told by one consultant it was OK, one it was borderline (not enough to fast track to NHS ivf...) And one said we'd need icsi. I think it's not understood at all!

He's been taking macca, horny goat week, arginine, coQ10, vir c, zinc, for 5 months, and morphology was 10% last month. We've just started ivf, and are hoping it'll be ivf not icsi.

Hear hear to more talk about and research on male factor. It seems odd to me that iui has such low success rates really...

[mrsden]

My DH has a similar count bearface (is the 11 million per ml or the total count?) and only 1% morphology. We are about to start ICSI after 2 and half years ttc. It's nice to read all of the success stories. I think one thing to bear in mind though is that there is a big range in terms of what is considered a low sperm count or problems with motility or morphology. So some people are told there is a problem, but when you actually look at the numbers I see it is no where near as bad as my DH. There is a big difference between someone with 11 million total count and 11 million per ml and normal volume. Likewise if you have a high count then 3% morphology might not be such an issue. My doctor was very clear with us at the start, it's not impossible that we might conceive because it only takes one sperm to make it but it would be a bit like winning the lottery, the odds are very much against it. If we were younger (I'm 31) then we might be prepared to try for longer but as it hasn't happened yet I'm keen to get on with it now.

Good luck to you and everyone else struggling with male factor. It is always assumed that infertility problems are to do with the woman, it's frustrating that there is very little talk about male factor.

[Bearface]

That's good to hear RedRobin.

I'm sorry you were turned down for IVF and ICSI Venus. That's really sad. At the same time you do have a DC who I bet is wonderful and the light of your lives. I'm interested in what you and a couple of others have said about timing it down to hours. Does that mean you waited until you got your first or last positive before DTD? Or did you go for both to make sure? Did you DTD within a few hours of getting the positive then? Sorry if TMI and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm just curious. Also, does the caffeine from the coffee then boost the sperm?

[VenusRising]

We had this, but on top of bad morphology, low motility, and hardly any there anyway, DHs sperm lived only an hour in vitro.

We were turned down for IVF and ICSI.

We managed to conceive naturally and our DC is eight, though and I think it's because we used ovulation sticks, and timed it down to hours, and DH had a strong coffee before we did the deed.
We have only one, and we know we are totally blessed.
Best of luck.

[RedRobin1]

DHs first SA had morphology at 2%.
He then stopped cycling, switched to boxers, popped pills (Wellman conception, vitamin c 2000mg, selenium, zinc) for 3 months
now his morphology is 5% on second SA.

He's started on pine bark as its supposed to help improve the morpho. Just wish there was a cure for ASAs

[Bearface]

Thannks fertilityFTW and Comberbird - I really need some reassuring stories. I know it may not work out for us, but I've got to have some hope, right? Anyway, thanks - these stories at least make me feel like we're doing the right things.

[fertilityFTW]

DH had low morphology

[Bearface]

I with you Twinkle - we're doing all we can too.

[twinklestar2]

My hub is on organic food, exercising, wellman conceptions tabs, no booze, smoothie every morning and loads of organic veg with dinner...Was wondering whether it was worth getting the pine bark extract too...

[comberbird]

its really hard to know what works. My DH was never a very big drinker and we basically have a very healthy lifestyle.. but he was quite consistent in having a pint after work a few days a week. I think it has to be a combo of not putting in as much bad stuff and adding more good stuff. Most of the things above are cheap and easy to do and much much easier than giving up booze .. why not give a few of them a go?

[twinklestar2]

Well done to your oh comber! My hub has been told to give up drinking completely, I wonder if that's enough.

[comberbird]

Hello a bit of good news to add from my hubby. He had off the scale good count, motility etc but had very very bad morphology 2% - which they say is the hardest thing to fix and all his swimmers had head defects which basically means that wont fertilise much. I put him on the following regime

• cool balls - so lots of sitting at home in his boxers as he was worried that the lack of aircon in his building during the summer was not helping
  
• pycnogenol - way expensive but proper medical research says it works
  
• wellman fertility vits
  
• Vits A&E antioxidants
  
• pumpkin and sunflower seeds on his brekkie
  
• no caffeine - maybe a few cups of tea a week and a glass of wine or two etc but basically no real coffee, no diet coke etc.. for quite a few months
  
• no beer .. a few glasses of wine only again for quite a few months [since Aug last year when we found out, lapsed for xmas and no alcohol at all for 6 weeks ahead of IVF]
  
• exercize but not too much
  

In the end his morphology was 8% after all this - which i think is almost miraculously good. We did IVF without ICSI and all 27 of our eggs fertilised [it transpires the eggs weren't too hot either hence lack of babies so far!]/ No baby for us so far as embryos frozen for a few months but I just wanted you to know there is hope and my husband was a total star in doing all this for our future family

xC

[RedRobin1]

Has anyone got any success stories if DH diagnosed with antisperm antibodies (ASA)?

DH's count and motility is excellent, morphology now normal at 5% but he has a high percentage (50% tail binding) ASAs.

ASAs cause agglutination (clumping) of sperm and can be tail binding or head. It prevents the good sperm from swimming up to the egg. We are on cycle 10 of TTC with a chemical pregnancy on the third cycle. I just wonder if theres any hope for it happening naturally for us :(

[Bearface]

That's more than annoying Euro, but glad that you've managed to overcome it now.

Hope it works out for you too twinkle.

Thanks for the advice Alexis.

[Alexis2012]

I was diagnosed low sperm count and began taking Volume Plus Pills. 6 months after my partern got pregant.
www.pharma-place.co.uk/semen-volume.html

[twinklestar2]

My oh has low morphology - all other numbers fine. Doc has advised him to give up alcohol and retest in 3 months.

OH's first SA last August came back as 1% morph, with a few lifestyle changes (mainly cutting back on booze) and it went up to 2%. Hoping the giving up drinking completely will help to get the numbers up to normal.

[EuroShaggleton]

It's interesting what you have been told. Mr Euro's figures were only marginally better than those in the OP and the fertility clinic glanced at the results and focussed on prodding and poking me (turning up absolutely nothing). The first time anyone mentioned there might be a problem on his side was with the sample for IVF (14m total count I think, I can't remember the other figures, I was off my tits on drugs when they spoke to us) and suggested ICSI as I was coming round from my egg collection sedation - 18 months of investigations without a single mention of a male factor problem and then they propose ICSI at that point, when I can barely see straight. Grr. Anyway, we said no and just went ahead with straight IVF and I got a positive recently (it is still early days).

[HavingALittleFaithBaby]

We had similar. I also forget the exact numbers but motility was dire (0% rapid, about 12% sluggish). Most of them swam in circles it seems! After some blood tests and an MRI they found that DH had a growth on his pituitary gland affecting his hormones. He started on medication for this, he had a repeat SA with a big improvement. Our GP did say that even with the initial results, we could probably have success with IVF if they spun the sperm to concentrate them.

However I got pregnant naturally 8 months after he started the treatment and am now 31 weeks :)

[takeaway2]

Can't remember the numbers but did remember that they were not great (according to dr google). The fertility guy who we were referred to did not seem too worried but he also then said 'oh I guarantee you'll be pregnant in 18 months!' (18 months was too long in my opinion! I was pushing it in terms of age etc). Anyway he gave me clomid, booked me in for a lap and dye to see if there's anything wrong and a scan to locate my ovaries.... We were pregnant at the scan! Got pregnant on the first round of clomid.

Dh did change diet, took vits etcetc. DS just turned 5. Dd was conceived naturally after 4 months and is 2.5 years old.

Good luck.

[Hoophopes]

Yes, poor numbers, poor morphology and 35% antibodies also. After 7yrs ttc and failed ICSI we conceived naturally (despite lots of immune issues for me that needed medication to support the pregnancy). Dh took 1000mg Vit C a day and Menevit supplements (which is what the IVF clinic recommended) for 6 months before conception. His numbers improved on the supplements.

Good luck.

[MikeLitoris]

The Maca tastes vile. Dont listen to the people that tell you they put it in their coffee. They are liars.

No idea if one or all of them helped. But it felt good to be proactive iyswim.

[Bearface]

That's good to know Mike - lots of people seem to be saying they saw improvements after using the well man vits and quite a lot are clearly independent of the company too although I think you can tell which ones aren't so that could be good. DH and I both suffer from cold sores and mouth ulcers a lot which we treat with L-lycine, but I wonder if it might suggest we have some vitamin deficiencies. I know that you should be able to get all your vitamins through food, but it's so much easier to supplement with vits. So I went out today and stocked up so DH and I will be rattling round for the forseeable future.

I'm interested in Peruvian Maca Mike - will check it out. Thanks for the tip.

[MikeLitoris]

I meant to say dp saw an umprovement after taking well man vits, pycnogenol and peruvian Maca. Iirc there was a significant improvement in count and the normal forms were 2% instead of 1.