Low sperm count and morphology - did this cause my miscarriages?

[Presently83]

A bit of backstory:

My BF has a 9yo son from a previous relationship, I have one blocked Fallopian tube, but all other tests have come back normal.

Wegot pregnant the first time we tried last August which sadly ended in a MMC in October at 11wks.

I tried to get him to have a semen analysis immediately but he said that based on us getting pregnant and him having a son, he didn't need to. It took until April to convince him to do it, and incidentally we got pregnant that month too. That pregnancy has also just ended in a MMC at 10wks, and I'm having D&C surgery on a Thursday. I'm completely broken.

Today my BF's semen analysis finally came back (the hospital lost the results and his GP surgery is completely useless), and it shows very low count (7m) and extremely poor morphology (1% normal). I'm now convinced this is what's causing my miscarriages and terrified to try again and think we should just go straight to IVF.

Does anyone have any positive stories of low count and morphology leading to a successful pregnancy? I'm feeling so utterly defeated by this and let down by everyone and my own body. I don't know how to get through this.

Firstly @Presently83 I'm so sorry you've been through this.

Tbh it's pretty amazing / a miracle to get pregnant twice on a 7mill concentration - what was total count? That, combined with 1% morphology would put you straight into the IVF with ICSI category I believe.

I'm not a doctor so can't say if that is causing the MCs. Morphology I do know quite a bit about though because my OH had 0% and we got it up to 9% relatively quickly. He should ensure his lifestyle habits are not impacting his sperm: no tight boxers, no smoking, limited drinking (a shared bottle a week is fine), 1 coffee a day. He could start staking Proxeed, pycnogenol and omega 3. All this was advice from a top urologist in London. Our fertility consultant also explained morphology is the quickest and easiest to fix so not all is lost. Sperm takes 72-90 days to regenerate so in 2-3 months he could repeat the SA and see where you are then. Hope that helps x

Urgh I hate these stories about guys refusing simple tests considering all a women has to go through to not only get pregnant but stay pregnant and then deliver a baby. I just want to shake them. Anyway rant over.

Quality of sperm can contribute to miscarriages but I cannot say for sure if morphology or low count is the reason BUT both of those things do point to their being an issue. SA can change and the fact that you got pregnant twice with such low numbers is encouraging.

Like PP said supplements and lifestyle are the main fixes but it takes a few months. My husband was on well man contraception, lycopene, omega 1000iu, coq10, selenium and he changed all his boxes, brought a standing desk, no more protein shakes, no bike riding, more water, we don't drink anyway and healthier eating.

To give you an idea I don't know his new numbers but 1st ivf we had 4/7 fertilise and this time we had 13/15 fertilise. We also used ICSI/IMSI.

IVF isn't easy and I'd would say if you are getting pregnant with his current numbers and you really want to try without assistance it might be worth a shot. Alternatively, if it makes no difference or something else is going on then you might look back and see that as wasted time or more heartbreak from losses which is valid.

Another test you could do is DNA fragmentation the SA points to a problem but doesn't tell you what it is. If fragmentation is high all the above apply still. It can be caused by infection or other things.

Seeing as he's resistant I'd be getting him to come to the consultant appt with me so the dr can tell him directly. My husband was mostly compliant but hearing it from the dr and seeing black and white results made him take it more seriously for sure. Best of luck and I'm so sorry for your losses.

I'm sorry for your losses. Could you pay for a one off private appointment so you can ask some questions and get more clarity and then make your decision? I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge re low sperm count or morphology, but my first and second pregnancies both ended in missed miscarriages. It's not that common, I believe the chances of two consecutive miscarriages is about 4%, but in my case my third pregnancy was successful so it can sometimes be 'bad luck'. Good luck with which ever route you take.

Yes as PP said, a urine culture will detect an infection which could a cause. A varicocele could also be the cause. Or it could be lifestyle or a combo, or normal. It's so tricky.

Really positive to get pregnant twice with those numbers though, so maybe don't jump to IVF just yet, but definitely make your OH do his bit. Xx

Thanks all.

It is infuriating that all the tests and probing happens to the woman, when it can be a male issue all along. I've been taking about 12 different vitamins a day for a year and I have to really bug him to take one. Hopefully this will get him to sort his shit out.

He has also been using Finasteride for hair loss which one doc recently told me he must stop immediately since it can hugely impact sperm count, so he has. (Reluctantly 🙄) And he has immediately started making lifestyle changes - eating better, exercise, aiming to lose weight, stopping drinking. Which is great.

I've booked him in for private dna fragmentation tests and am going to try and get him to see Dr Ramsay who specialises in this stuff. The main issue is that he has less money than me (he's launching a new business so not rolling in it currently) and feels uncomfortable letting me pay for these tests/meetings, but I'm 39 and he's 38 and we don't have time for him to faff about on waiting lists anymore. Enough is enough.

@FlyOnTheWall89 total count was 11m - I'm baffled by the whole thing. I've had friends whose OHs have great counts and it's taken them years to get pregnant. I'm suddenly feeling better about my own fertility - I always thought I was the one pulling us down but maybe not.

@Aria2015 definitely going down the private miscarriage testing route; so frustrating that they won't see you on the nhs before three. I can't afford to wait at 39.

@Presently83 I know. It's so frustrating to have to wait for any testing. I think given your age, going private is the right thing. I'm not advocating you take this because you should speak with a doctor first, but I did start taking low dose aspirin after my second miscarriage. There are accounts of it helping in the case of multiple miscarriages. Maybe read up on it and ask about it when you have your appointment.

I’m so sorry for your losses and what you’re going through currently.

My DP’s morphology was 1% when we had a SA done when TTC #1. I ensured he was taking vitamins, not sure if they made any difference but we conceived our DS shortly afterwards and had no issues. Took 13 cycles in total and no miscarriages that I’m aware of.

We’re now TTC #2 and I’ve recently had two chemical pregnancies. I assumed that this must be because their is something wrong with me but someone on here did point out that low morphology can cause miscarriages. It was ever so years ago he had a SA now so obviously don’t know what his morphology is currently. I’ve been doing a bit of looking into this and it seems that there is some evidence to back it up, but equally there can be many different causes of miscarriage and without further testing it’s impossible to tell what has caused yours.

Could you see whether your doctor could refer you for further tests to start the ball rolling?

I would also really recommend speaking to Tommy’s, they have trained midwives who can offer further advice and support around miscarriages.

In the meantime also look into what supplements could help your DH as although you’ve been able to get pregnant, they aren’t great numbers and even if it’s not caused your miscarriages then they still need improving really.

Sorry just saw you’re going down the private testing route, hopefully that will get you some answers!

@Presently83 I think that's a good shout. The rules for the NHS and fertility are crazy making so don't fault you going privately.

Yes we invest so much into it assuming it's all on us and they just muddle through with this expectation that they are all good as if they aren't 50 percent of the equation.

Best of luck to you!

@Aria2015 I was actually taking aspirin this time around, and clexane for part of it recommended by a clinic. But I guess neither of those help if the problem is chromosomal, which I suspect it was. Going to get a sample of the tissue tested privately this time to see.

Thanks for all your advice. I really appreciate it. I just feel like these miscarriages have ruined every aspect of my life, and I'm finding it so hard to see a way out.

To be honest semen analysis is not the best test, the samples often sit around for ages before they test them which can impact on quality. My husband had some pretty shocking/abnormal results as well as some totally normal ones. The numbers here are not that bad either.

By all means take aspirin, clexane etc if advised to, but don't assume that you need them. You probably don't.

You are getting pregnant so that is good news! Miscarriage rates do go up with age mostly due to reductions in egg quality, but you more than likely still have some good eggs left at 39, and the odds are that you will have success. I'm sorry, it's really hard - I had a few miscarriages before we got lucky so I know how sad and frustrated you must be feeling!

@Talkwhilstyouwalk thank you, this helps. Yeah it's confusing that with low results he has a child and we've been pregnant twice in 7 months. Nuts. Tbh I think the hospital and doctor who collared them are USELESS (numerous fuckups with the wrong forms/containers/dates and a huge delay tracking down lost results and then everyone being on holiday and unable to deliver them), so probably worth doing again soon. Ugh. It's just all so frustrating.

@Presently83 definitely worth having another one but there will be a time on the results for how long after ejaculation it was tested. Statistically, a 3rd miscarriage in a row is unlikely. Do some reading on that. I have everything crossed for you xx

@FlyOnTheWall89 🤞❤️🤞❤️