HELP - Sperm Analysis results, what do they mean??

[MrsRose2018]

Hi All

We are currently under the care of a fertility specialist for recurrent miscarriage. My husbands sperm analysis has just come back saying he is outside the fertile range in two parameters indicating an increased risk in male fertility.

It looks like he's only just outside the fertile range but still, not good!

Does anyone have any similar stories? Is this insurmountable? We really don't want to go down the IVF route

TIA x

I done IVF but we were down as unexplained.
My friends partner had a low sperm range and they had successful IVF.
They weren't giving an option for anything else as IVF was what the clinic thought would be most successful.
IUI wouldn't work.

It looks as if he is outside the range for fertility , but just squeaks into the range for IVF . So you might need to see an IVF specialist and go from there.

@starrynight21 so just slightly infertile enough to not get pregnant but not quite infertile enough to get treatment... if I am reading this right 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

No it says you are in the range to have IVF

We can't afford/don't qualify for NHS IVF treatment... bad news all round :(

IVF postcode lottery drives me insane 😭

Places do packages/deals so you can spread the cost out.

You may well already have looked into this but there are ways to improve sperm quality. Because sperm die and new ones are made there is always a chance a future batch will be better. This article makes some suggestions it might be worth discussing with your doctor. Best of luck.

So the COMET test looks at DNA damage in sperm. There is a correlation between higher levels of DNA damage and unexplained infertility. What this is basically saying is your husband’s sperm have slightly higher rates of DNA damage then average and that dna damage is at the lower end.

What this means is you have an increased risk of infertility and miscarriage, but as you say your DH is just above the ranges, so you are definitely not a hopeless case. (A friend did these tests and it came back at 50% with high dna damage).

These results are not saying you will not get pregnant naturally, but that it may be harder.

In your position (IVF not being an option) I’d be looking at things to improve sperm quality.

@Polly99 @Rosemaryandlemon

Thank you so much for your helpful responses.

Yes, I've been looking at this since we got the results back an hour ago.

We/he used to smoke - haven't for 3 years now but Definitely can cut back on alcohol consumption though, and he does wear boxers. And like everyone we could both stand to eat healthier and lose a few lbs!

I've also seen that the medication clomid which women use for fertility treatment is also an option for male factor infertility...

When we went through fertility investigations they found all sorts wrong with both of us- mine were things that couldn't be changed. DHs sperm count was in his boots and what live sperm there where were mainly going backwards or not swimming properly (I imagine they're the literal sperm version of him tbh 😂🙊). Every consultant he saw accused him of taking steroids as his numbers were so crap- he never has, never will. We were told that icsi might not work because his quality and count were so poor but that icsi would be the only way we could conceive.

He decided to try and improve his count while we waited for treatment through doing all the tricks. Staying cool, multi vitamin, then he added extra zinc, vitamin c, d and b12. Loose clothing, exercise, good diet, sleep, no alcohol. Something must've worked because despite all my problems we've had 3 children. Like a pp said- sperm counts are a snapshot in time and there are things that can be done. Good luck op! X

@Teaandcakeordeath83 is there a multivitamin you recommend? Or are they much of a muchness?

Conceive plus for men or well woman/man?

Hi @MrsRose2018 have a read about ubiquinol. Lots of fertility clinics suggest it for improving fertility in both men and women. Good luck, don’t despair xxx

We didn't bother with the special ones if I'm honest. Just bog standard own brand multi vits and additional vits.

My DH sperm is/was a bit crap. Low numbers poor motility and morphology.

He took high dose vit c wellman conception vitamins coq10 as well as exercised ate well cut back alcohol and loose fitting boxers. We did see an improvement but did have ICSI IVF to conceive our son.

Can those results get better with better nutrition and/or supplements? Keep trying for a few months until the news settle in, and maybe try for cheaper clinics even if further away?

I would ask them to look into your DH’s health. We were in a similar position (worse results than that even!) and they found DH had a medical condition lowering his testosterone levels. They treated that condition and I got pregnant naturally a few months later. It’s definitely worth exploring if there’s anything causing it and if there’s options to improve things.