Dh has crap sperm...implications?

[downbutnotout]

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....

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..

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

how long have you been TTC?

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 ?

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]

HTH

There are some studies that suggests that what is going on with the sperm DNA can indeed affect conception and pregnancy outcome.

It's relatively new and doesn't relate in any way to conventional sperm analysis parameters.

Try googling 'sperm dna fragmentation'.

Hi to all!

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.

Lots of luck with the the bean downbutnotout, I have all my fingers crossed for you x

Thanks!

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....

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)