Bad Morphology

[MountTheFairy]

Dear all,

My husband's sperm results just came back and he's got bad morphology. Apparently everything else is ok. They would not give him exact results so all I know is that there are still healthy ones as well, just more bad ones than there should be. My results so far ok. GP suggests referal to a fertility clinic. She is not sure how much a referal to the urologist would help. I am 33, he is 43. Does anyone have a similar problem and do you know what kind of treatment they are likely to suggest? I am now waiting for my own appointment with the GP as apparently they can only refer me, not him, to the FC. I will then try and ask for the exact results as well. They must have been bad enough to warrant a referral to the FC, but she also said that our age was a factor.

Any eperience / advice? I'd like to know what to expect. Thanks!

Hello Mountie. Just read this on the BESH thread. Very sorry to hear of your troubles . I'm pig ignorant about such things but have heard several encouraging tales of laydeez whose men have a sperm prob and they go on to conceive naturally. A friend of mine in RL was desperate for a baby and didn't conceive for a couple of years (she and her husband were about 30ish). He was diagnosed as having a low sperm count - I don't know how low, or the nature of the problem. They had a round of IVF which cost a fortune and didn't succeed. They went through a real rough patch with their marriage, perhaps not surprisingly, given that he's a very traditional, proud sort of chap. Anyway, I'll leave out the gory details, but when they got back together he completely stopped drinking, embarked on a health kick and took high strength zinc and Omega 3 supps. After three months she was pregnant. Obviously I don't know if they're directly linked, but it certainly can't help. If you do all those things already, sorry , but I just thought I'd mention it. Good look, luvver and don't stay away that long again. I was wondering where you were!

Thank you Aries

You're welcome to sob in my bosom any time, Fairyliquid, though I warn you, there isn't much to go round. From what I've heard, even a bit of alcohol can make a difference to the swimmers. In fact, just as much if not more effect as on the woman. No doubt some would take issue with that.

What about the supps?

Yeah, I was just thinking I'll go out and get some for both him and I. Dunno - I always wait for 'doctor's orders' but at this point I am thinking we've got nothing to loose. I might get him a 'Wellman' or something like that, but will make sure it has got Zinc and Omega 3 in it. Otherwise perhaps some extra Zinc... Oh, I don't know. Now I am thinking urologist isn't such a bad idea...

ZINC, ZINC, ZINC! I have also heard that selenium is handy stuff. Can get it combined with zinc in Holland and Barrett's. Make him eat pumpkin seeds too.

Feel free to join in, anyone else. It's not a private conversation.

He eats tonns of those! Puts them on his porridge and then nibbles all day... can you have too much of that stuff? I WILL GET ZINK! No, seriously, I will.

Thanks for rallying up the troops for me Arial, I have a feeling everyone is out enjoying the Sunday, though not sure how given the weather. But good point:

Anyone out there with bad morphology experience?

Hi, just to say you are not alone, DH has poor morphology, count and motility! Although they are just below the norm so not a total disaster. All my tests have come back fine. He had the test in December - he has been taking Zinc, Magnesium and an all round Male supplement made by solgar I think. We are going to see a specialist next week - been trying for nearly 10 months now for No.2. He had the same issues for no.1 and it took about a year for DS. From what I've read, Zinc is the key one for sperm, I've also read that L-Arginine (have no idea what that is) is also good for both male and female fertility so we have just started taking that. I am doing acupuncture at the moment too which has helped regulate my cycles - if nothing happens this cycle then DH will start acupuncture too - in fact we both had acupuncture last time round - and within a month i was pregnant so maybe this is the key!

Good luck and let us know what your specialist advises, I will post here once we have seen ours.

Excellent, thank you very much points. May I ask if you are seeing a urologist or a ferility specialist?

It is good to hear you conceived DS naturally despite problems. I have no idea how bad hubby's count is, but I know it is just the morphology aspect of it. Of course, it all depeneds on just how bad the morphology aspect is. Will find out and will let you know, and about the next steps... Thanks for your support.

In the meantime zink it is! And no booze...

Hello

Just wanted to say my dp had very low morphology - only 2% normal forms, with the help of lifestyle changes, cutting out alcohol, and caffenine, plus taking a vitamins, zinc and Pycnogenol (this is very expensive, but very effective for morphology) we managed to fall pregnant naturally after 16 months of trying.

Goodluck

hi mount

firstly i would try to get the exact figures from the test and i would also arrange a 2nd test for a few months time. sperm tests need to be done a few times to get a clear picture of what is going on.

my dp has poor morphology and has been advised to take fetilaid vitamins (google it, cant find it in shops anywhere!) and pycnogenol, which he gets from holland and barrat.

to give you an idea of if they work or not i will show the results of his last 2 tests.

1st test count-10m morphology-1% motility-37% 2nd test 4 months later and 3.5 months after starting vits

count-16m
morphology-2%
motility-67%

not a vast improvement, but it's a move in the right direction.

i should also say that despite the sperm issues i have gotten pregnant 5 times in the last 2 years, so its not impossible.

good luck.

Wow, Lynsy, mumatron, your pregnancies are very encouraging! Thanks for the vitamins advice, I am going on a quest! I also really want to find out the exact results. Hopefully they tell me next week.

Thank you.

Hello,

We are just going to see the fertility specialist and see what he says first - I want someone to give us a proper analysis of his results and what they actually mean for us - so far the only analysis is what i've read on the internet. I have read that at my age - nearing 35, the chances of getting pregnant are 15% every month if both sides are normal so our chances are even less than that every month! I think motility is the main issue for my husband - mumatron your results are very encouraging. I have never heard of pcynogenol - thanks for the information, I will look into this.

I am certain that DH will have to go for another test, i will post the results as well to see if the vitamins he's been taking have made any difference in teh last 4 months.

Point on a bank holiday Monday? Let us know how it went. Was the first test at the GP's? Our GP was not very good at interpreting results, actually, didn't really tell my hubby what exactly they were.

Fairy I had a bit of a google for you, and I'd be tempted to get into the fertility system as fast as possible. Urologists may be able to help, but there doesn't seem to be much that can currently be done for male factor issues.

Plus, I started the fertility checking out process in Octoberish last year and my treatment start date is probably July. You won't be rushed into doing anything you don't want to do...

Thanks Perfect. I think you are right. That's why I will keep this appoinment with the GP. I am sort of hoping we can do the urologist as well as get on with the fertility clinic stuff, as it seems like it will take a while anyway. I wonder how long the FC wait will be. Did you get the initial appointment relatively quickly?

Looking back, I was referred mid-October and had my first appointment mid-November. The follow-up appointment from that was scheduled for mid-February, so that we could get all our tests out of the way.

Am in London, which may make things a bit speedier, not entirely sure.

Yo yo yo mounty!!!

My boyf also had lowish morphology (3%). Our FC told us 5% was about average. So the boyf was on the lower end of average.

However at our next appointment they said he had good sperm, so who the hell knows?

No-one mentioned any supplements he could take (thanks to other posters I'm going to be pumping him full of zinc). The treatment the FC gave me was Clomid! Although all my tests have come back fine, their theory is to make me super-fertile so more chance of his lazy-arse sperm finding the Holy Grail.

Although I am beginning to think my FC are a bunch of cowboys (despite being based at University Hospital Wales). But that's annuver fred altogether.

Final point, I think I was about 2-3 months from GP writing referral to FC to my first appointment. They dont hurry themselves - 1st FC appointment was Sept, HSG in Dec, 2nd FC appointment Mar & now on 2nd month of Clomid & kind of left to it.

Sorry, realise I'm not helping, just moaning.

Byesy bye, x

laurie we had our tests through uhw (ivf wales) and they aren't the quickest. i thuink it really depends on which cons you see there.

I don't have time to reply properly now but this is something I posted a couple of years ago...

My husband was told he had very low motility and morphology and had the same results from a second test quite soon after.

When we went to the IVF clinic (a well respected one in London)4 months later to talk about ICSI, they retested him and everything came up normal.

In the interim period I got him to take various vitamins and stopped him having too many baths. Don't know whether it was that or just that the IVF clinics test was more accurate but something seemed to change. (2 months after the 'good test' got pregnant naturally after TTC for 18 months. Am 37 as well).

My be worth retseting especially if he's only had one test so far.

PS- have had 2 children since posting this!

PS- main vitamin he took was Pycogenol (which I think someone else mentioned)

My appt with specialist is next week. He got the first test done through the GP. They just said he was just below average on the phone I think but that it was nothing to worry about - he asked for the results and they sent him a copy of everything in the post.

mount you should def get a copy of everything to show your specialist when you see him, i think you are entitled to the results.

Thanks tv - i am def going to get this pycogenol - do you remember what strength it was and how much you took?

Dh had this - good count etc. but bad motility and morphology. Really, really bad.

He went on a huge health drive, no alcohol, lots of exercise, zinc and omega 3. We were told absolutely no chance of natural conception from the results, so not doing it as a way of ttc, but he did have it in the back of his mind. He also stopped taking baths altogether.

He was never retested after that, but we now have 2 dcs, both conceived naturally, so something worked. He also had a varicocele repaired between ds1 and 2 (I got pregnant a few months after that op).

Hello lovely supportive people, thank you for all your replies. It's been a bit manic in RL so I did not have time to catch up until now.

Pefect I am in London too, so I am hoping for something vaguely speedy. Which part of the world are you at laurie?

tvfriend very encouraging! Well, he is a shower kinda guy, does not smoke, take drugs, so the things we can change is alcohol and vitamins. While he is definitely going off alcohol, somehow I don't think it is the issue, as it really was within limits. He bought Wellman Conception which seems to have most of the vitamins you ladies suggested: www.vitabiotics.com/wellman/conception_formula.aspx.

Point did you have your appointment? Or is it later in the week?

ib very, very encouraging, thank you!

I have read on the fertility friend message boards that the WHO are proposing to change the morphology parameters this year, currently on the Kruger scale it's >14 is considered normal, apparently they are proposing to change it to >4 morphology as normal, if you are going to see a specialist soon it maybe worth asking about this.