how is 2.7 MILLION swimmers "dismal?" can someone explain science to me?

[skookie]

i'm just frustrated because i don't understand.

we had IUI sunday and my DH gave 2.7 million motile/good swimmers. the doc said even with IUI the chances for us conceiving are very low and we will need to look at IVF probably if things don't improve (the reason we're even doing IUI is because of the male factor).

but i don't even understand this "not enough swimmers" thing in the first place. i know "normal" count is WAY above our 2.7 million.. however.. if i picture 2.7 MILLION guys swimming up inside me, it seems like at least a couple hundred thousand of them are going to be knocking on the door of the egg. maybe i need to adjust my picture. does anyone know of a youtube video, or can you just explain it to me, where do all those millions of guys go if they don't go through my tubes to the egg!!?? what the HECK!??!

 

[peachymomma]

I would watch "The Great sperm race" It's very informative, and can explain why so many swimmers are needed. Should be able to google it.

 

[Baileeboo77]

I never understood until I watched the great sperm race as well! You can watch it on YouTube!

 

[skookie]

awesome thanks ladies!!! i'll check it out.

 

[Fizzyfefe]

I was going to suggest The Great Sperm Race but it looks like that's already been done.

I read an article one time about a doctor who was going to have her tubes tied. She had sex with her hubby before the surgery so that she could look at how many sperm actually made it to her fallopian tubes. Her hubby had normal sperm count. When she looked at the tubes under the microscope, only 14 sperm made it.

14! Out of millions!!

 

[Baileeboo77]

Wow thats so interesting ^^^^^

 

[lintu]

yep the great sperm race, after watching that i actually felt sorry for all the lil dudes

 

[PDubs10612]

Loved the great sperm race...I told DH to watch it too, but don't know if he did...awesome video

I also heard about that doctor with the 14 spermies..very interesting

 

[skookie]

thanks ladies. my husband and i watched TGSR last night and we loved it! very cute, and educational! i still have questions.... the video mentioned that something like 600,000 sperm actually "make it" to the uterus. This is why I'm confused. My husband and i put 2.7 million washed, good/motile (i presume?) sperm directly into my uterus via IUI on Sunday. we have been told repeatedly that our chances of a successful conception with these low of numbers is "very unlikely." But if we are starting with 2.7 MILLION in the uterus whereas most women only get into the hundreds of thousands in the uterus, how are my chances not BETTER than most women?? I'm young, don't have ovulation problems, etc. The only issue we appear to have is male factor. So why would my chances be so "dismal" (According to our doctors and what I've read online) if I'm starting out with almost 2 million more sperm in my uterus than most women??? I'm so confused!! Is it because of the leukocytes? The video said the leukocytes kill the majority of the [hundreds of thousands] of sperm that make it to the uterus after sex. So does that mean that the leukocytes are killing the vast majority of our couple million swimmers as well?? That is the only theory I can come up with but I can't find anything about it online. *sigh*

 

[skookie]

also thought i'd mention, 2 OBGYN's, my fertility specialist, my husband's urologist have all independently said that with our kind of "numbers" as far as sperm, we are most likely looking at IVF.

 

[skookie]

yep the great sperm race, after watching that i actually felt sorry for all the lil dudes

haha! i felt so bad for them too!

 

[PDubs10612]

All I can think is that while most sperm are "thinned out" by nature while getting to the uterus leaving only the strongest to survive the rest of the journey, you are putting ALL sperm in the uterus, but many are not "equipped" to finish the journey....obviously I'm oversimplifying but think of it as quality of quantity...20 sperm that needed assistance are not going to be better than 1 sperm that was strong enough to tackle all the obstacles...IUI takes out nature's selection process...I don't know if that makes sense but that's kind of how I see it...FX that IVF will work for you

 

[skookie]

yes that definitely makes sense! thanks!

 

[popchick75]

^wss. It's about the odds + sperm quality.

My OH's SA came back with 70 million. If 700,000 make it too the uterus, that's still only 1% of his swimmers....and they still have a way to go to get to the egg once they are in there.

1% of 2.7 million is only 27,000.

That being said, it only takes one! There are plenty of women who have had surprises when their DH has a low count

 

[skookie]

^wss. It's about the odds + sperm quality.

My OH's SA came back with 70 million. If 700,000 make it too the uterus, that's still only 1% of his swimmers....and they still have a way to go to get to the egg once they are in there.

1% of 2.7 million is only 27,000.

That being said, it only takes one! There are plenty of women who have had surprises when their DH has a low count

No, that's just the thing 2.7 million made it to my uterus because they were put there directly by the doctor!!

But I know it does only take one.. we are feeling more optimistic now after watching TGSR than we were before watching it.

 

[popchick75]

Ahh...gotcha. Was that the number in the sample, or the number after the wash and before the IUI?

 

[peachymomma]

I'm glad that the video helped you guys feel more optimistic. Wishing you the best of luck! Plenty of women have conceived with low sperm counts. And if it doesn't happen thankfully there are options like IVF to help. Just to bad it wasn't cheaper! LOL Just try to keep a positive attitude ( I know easier said than done) Miracles happen everyday.

 

[skookie]

Ahh...gotcha. Was that the number in the sample, or the number after the wash and before the IUI?

post-wash :-/ hehe.. seems like a lot to me!!!

 

[skookie]

I'm glad that the video helped you guys feel more optimistic. Wishing you the best of luck! Plenty of women have conceived with low sperm counts. And if it doesn't happen thankfully there are options like IVF to help. Just to bad it wasn't cheaper! LOL Just try to keep a positive attitude ( I know easier said than done) Miracles happen everyday.

thank you so much.

 

[LisK]

Maybe his numbers are low compared to other post-wash IUI numbers. I quickly googled and it seems the post wash number can go into the 100+ million. But I do agree that your chances should be statistically better than people just having regular sex, given how few sperm actually make it into the uterus.

I hope you get your BFP!