sperm test results

[wanttohidemyname]

DH recently went for sperm analysis after ttc for a year- infertility clinic said results were good. 117 million sperm per ml but only 6% rapid motility (43% in total are progressive, should be 50% according to some info I've read) and 6% morphology. Clinic said this is not a problem because of the high level of sperm-50.31 million progressive sperm per ml. Does anyone have experience in interpreting results or can tell me their experience? I'm worried- even though they have said its a good result!!

Actually that's pretty darn good! My DH has a slightly different problem - he has low semen volume but seven times the normal amount of sperm. Unfortunately the semen protect the sperm so the little buggers have to be extra determined. Anyway I have one DD and am pregnant with number two so take heart!

Okay your rapid motility means which of them are fast swimmers. You really want the fast swimmers to fertilise the egg really, they are the uber-sperm genetically. Think Duncan Goodhew with a tail

You have millions of sperm working per ml - you only need one per egg.

Due to these results, if it came to ICSI or IVF, they would be able to grab the best sperm very easily, but hopefully all you need is a bit more time.

Thank you- I'm sure I've read that the rapid motility level should be 10%- clinic says not to worry cos there are so many but it still worries me. Also with 6% morphology- does that mean only 6% of his 6% rapid movers are normal???!!!

from here

Morphology indicates the percentage of sperm that appear normal when semen is viewed under a microscope. Poor sperm morphology may be a contributing factor in male infertility.

Normal sperm have an oval head with a long tail. Abnormal sperm may have head or tail defects ? such as a large or misshapen head or a crooked or double tail. These defects may impair the ability of the sperm to reach and fertilize the egg.

Causes of abnormal morphology include:

Testicular abnormalities that are present at birth (congenital)
Enlargement of veins within the scrotum (varicocele)
High fever
Illicit drug use
Infections

BTW that means that even if only 6% are really fast swimmers, 43% are good enough swimmers to make a go of it and even if only 6% are fully perfect, you have enough sperm there to fertilise every woman in England!

Honestly sperm test results always look bloody awful, but these look fine to me!

You might want to look into increasing the zinc in his diet though and generally making sure he's getting adequate minerals (and cut out alcohol) as this can massively increase male fertility!

Clinic have said that 6% is fine- but even with a morphology of 4% they wouldnt be concerned because the number of sperm was high. You think his results look ok though? The progressive but slow sperm made up 37% of his level- can these also get to the egg or are they a no go? sorry!! I just cant believe they are ok when only 6% are swimming fast!!

I've put him on wellman!!

I think its concerned me cos the printout they gave us gives a diagnosis at the bottom- and it says reduced motility cos the 2 figures (a+b) only add up to 43% but they said to ignore that cos the amount kind of makes up for it.

LOL the perils of reading the normative analysis!

Look my DH has 1ml of semen each time he ejaculates. Most men produce about 7. However he produces seven times as much sperm as most men. Their motility was pretty low on the first test and then average on the second test six weeks later (after I force fed him vitamins and hid the corkscrew!)

You really are worrying unnecessarily. The MAJORITY of men in this country have the same or lower sperm counts than your DH! The normative figures have not changed in the last twenty years, yet studies suggest all men have less sperm.

And again you need ONE sperm. The ones that are not top flight will still do the job btw, but because of the process of racing towards the sperm, it's more likely that the fast guys will find the egg and have the energy to fertilise it. They need to be properly formed to actually break through the egg membrane properly too but the dodgy ones just act as ballast to distract your body from attacking the good ones who are out in front racing around looking for an egg.

you are very clever- thanks!!!

xxx

Good luck with your pregnancy. You sound like you deserve a good one- you must have been worried after your DH's results. Your daughter is gorgeous.

Actually I wasn't at all worried. You see by the time we got the results, we'd already decided to stop trying. I had PCOS and was told that with my DH's sperm issue the only way I would get pregnant was IVF.

Having seen friends go through IVF and it blow their relationships apart we decided to go for adoption but give ourselves six months before we did to just get over the whole fertility rollercoaster ride we'd been on.

So off I trot to the acupuncturist to regulate my periods and bam I was pregnant that day! Our fertility consultant was STUNNED. It was very funny sending him a scan picture to go with a copy of his letter saying we would only do it through IVF!

BTW another thing I really think helped me was a hynoconception CD which convinced me I could get pregnant. If you've been going through this for a year, you maybe have lost confidence in your body's ability to get pregnant easily? Might be worth a try?

Oh and thanks DD is gorgeous -sometimes.

You'll get there, you just need to keep relaxed and take it a month at a time.

Hi,
Can anybody recommend a good clinic for male infertility. have to go private, hence, needs to be sure its good! Limited money .
Thanks.