Motility question from a novice

[DosPinkies]

Hi, ladies. I have a question about my DH's SA. We got one done because he was concerned there was a problem based on TTC problems with his first wife years ago. Even though we're only on cycle 3 trying, just to try to get some peace of mind for him (okay and me), we ordered one.

Morphology was normal (can't remember the number, but normal), and count was 35 million. The only thing that was below average was his motility, which was 40%. The nurse told me, "it could potentially be a problem, but might not." I don't really understand what that means. I'm just looking for someone to put it into plain terms for me so that I know if it's an obstacle and/or how big of an obstacle we're looking at.

Can anyone help me in this?

 

[BabyLoveBump]

I'm new to this but we also just got DH's SA back last week and his motility was at 6.38%. The "should-be" numbers was 40% and considered "Normal" according to the sheet they gave us that compared his results to the "Average-Should Be" numbers. Sorry, I may not be much help but I am kind of in the same boat. To me, 40% doesn't sound too bad though.

Do you know what causes the low motility? That is what is wrong with my DH...and progression is low as well. I am so lost!

 

[CaliDreaming]

Hi, ladies. I have a question about my DH's SA. We got one done because he was concerned there was a problem based on TTC problems with his first wife years ago. Even though we're only on cycle 3 trying, just to try to get some peace of mind for him (okay and me), we ordered one.

Morphology was normal (can't remember the number, but normal), and count was 35 million. The only thing that was below average was his motility, which was 40%. The nurse told me, "it could potentially be a problem, but might not." I don't really understand what that means. I'm just looking for someone to put it into plain terms for me so that I know if it's an obstacle and/or how big of an obstacle we're looking at.

Can anyone help me in this?

I think the nurse was right. With sperm analysis, it's not a pass/fail type of thing. The more properly shaped, fast moving sperm you have the better your chances. No one can really place a lower limit on it.

Was your hubby's count 35 million total or 35 million per ml? Either way even though that figure is "normal", it could take a while because that is on the low side. 15-20 million per mL is the minimum, but you really want to see that count near 65 million per mL to be assured of normal fertility each month. You can get pregnant with 35 million per ml but it could take a long time. Some men have 150 mil/mL, so that gives you an idea of where 35 million/ml is in the scheme of things.

The motility is also on the low side. 50% is the minimum, but men who have optimum fertility have motility of 75% or more.

You don't know exactly what the morphology is, but if that's on the low side that could be factoring into these numbers.

The good thing is that your hubby's sperm meets the minimum standards so there is likely nothing majorly wrong with him. There is a good chance he would benefit from taking a fertility supplement like FertilAid or Proxeed. Perhaps he could take it for three months and repeat the SA to see if there's any improvement

You were so smart to go ahead and get tested right away rather than wait the recommended one year. I firmly believe that if there's no bfp within three cycles with well-timed intercourse that there is a reason for it. It took me a whole year of painful bfns before I saw an RE. After another whole year of invasive testing on me, including a lap and hysteroscopy, we finally had came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with me and we should focus on dh. His numbers were actually worse than your hubby's, but we were told they were "fine". His count was 20 mil/mL, 30% motility, and 0.5% morphology.

 

[DosPinkies]

Thank you so much, calidreaming. It at least makes me feel better to have a little further explanation than what I had before.

We went ahead and ordered some FertilAid. I had been considering it already, so I just went head and pulled the trigger. Here's hoping this makes a difference for us.

May I ask - were you guys able to conceive with his numbers without any assistance?

 

[CaliDreaming]

Thank you so much, calidreaming. It at least makes me feel better to have a little further explanation than what I had before.

We went ahead and ordered some FertilAid. I had been considering it already, so I just went head and pulled the trigger. Here's hoping this makes a difference for us.

May I ask - were you guys able to conceive with his numbers without any assistance?

Yes! We conceived the month after he started taking them and I'm now about 18 weeks along with no meds or IUI. He took Fertilaid along with Countboost and Motility Boost. I was shocked that they worked so quickly because they advise you that it takes 3 months to see improvement because that's how long it takes sperm to mature. I think how quickly they improve depends on which stage of sperm production is affected. If the problem is in the latter stages then you might see faster results like we did.

The three fertility blends cost us $75 for a month's supply and I was reluctant too esp. considering that I thought he was going to have to take them for 3 months, but if you think of the cost of IUI it's really not that much. And if you do have to go the IUI or IVF route, having taken them can only improve your chances of success with those procedures. When I bought the vitamins, we had gotten to the point where we felt like we had already spent a ton of money that didn't help us at all and weren't willing to put any more into IUI and IVF when no one could tell us what the problem was.

 

[DosPinkies]

That's so uplifting to hear! I'm very happy for you.

Do you think FertilAid alone should be enough for us to try without adding the motility and count boost? Since his numbers aren't super, super low, I was hoping just the one would be enough. What's your opinion on that based on what you know about it?

 

[CaliDreaming]

Thanks DosPinkies! IMO, if I were you I'd take all three. The way I understood it Fertilaid is really intended for every man whether they have fertility problems or not. While Fertilaid alone will be beneficial for men with sperm issues, it was intended to maintain fertility and not to correct certain problems, which is what the Countboost and Motilityboost is for.

At first I thought we would just go with the Fertilaid, because his numbers weren't terribly low in any one category except for the morph and the vits are pricey but the more I thought about it I decided we might as well take all three. I didn't want to get to the end of three months with no bfp and wonder "well I wonder if it would have made a difference to add in the countboost".

If your hubby had a count of 100 million/mL, then I think you could do without the countboost or if he had a 75% motility grade 4, then you could do without the motilityboost, but since both readings are borderline or low normals, he probably would benefit from taking all three. Most men with problems that can be corrected with supplements often show weakness across the board.

Also keep in mind that the minimums that the doctors are calling "normal" are really way way below average. They calculate the minimums on a bell curve with "normal" meaning a man is in the 5th percentile of all men. So if your hubby is just meeting the minimums for count and motility, his numbers are actually lower than 95% of the male population. When I thought of it that way, my hubby's numbers sounded a lot worse than the doctors were telling me.

 

[DosPinkies]

Thank you so much for your help. I decided to order the motility boost and try just that one with the FertilAid for now. I'm trying to ease into this with my DH, as I can tell talking about his fertility makes him really uncomfortable and makes him feel self-conscious. I'm nervous to start shoving too many pills down his throat, as I don't want him to start resisting. Soooo, baby steps. I figure since he agreed to the FertilAid and he knows his motility was pretty low, I think we'll start with that and maybe do another SA if no BFP in 3 more cycles. It's a sensitive situation...I hope I'm doing the right thing. :\

 

[CaliDreaming]

Yeah that's a good point. It is like pulling teeth to get most guys to take the vitamins. It comes out to 8 pills a day for all three. I had to beg and plead dh to take them some days. I was so worried that he was going to get frustrated one day and quit taking them.

 

[pushmug7]

hello there,

im dealing with mfi too , i have a 4 yr old girl and i never used birthcontrol and never had an oops so we got dh tested and there it was low motility .
25 million per mll
vol 2 mll
30 % normal forms
70% abnormal forms
35% sluggish
10% active motile
55% nonmotile

dr told him to take 3 grams of l carnitine tartrate , 30 grams zinc , trental (helps blood flow) and thiotacid (alpha lipoic acid)

my question : anyone with these numbers got pregnant?? or any one tried l carnitine and got results?

 

[CaliDreaming]

Pushmug, my hubby's numbers were similar to yours except he had almost 0 normal forms in his sperm, but the motility was a little higher at 30%.

The fertility supplement he took had L carnitine tartrate in it. L carnitine is a vital nutrient for sperm.

Lots of men have had success with improving their sperm with supplements so don't get discouraged!

 

[pushmug7]

my dh has a total motility 45% of which 10% is active the rest 45 is sluggish , he had a high fever 3 months ago but shouldnt it get better by now or does it affect sperm 3 months AFTER the fever ,,its so confusing

 

[CaliDreaming]

my dh has a total motility 45% of which 10% is active the rest 45 is sluggish , he had a high fever 3 months ago but shouldnt it get better by now or does it affect sperm 3 months AFTER the fever ,,its so confusing

Oh so your dh's motility was a little better than mine. I don't know the breakdown of how many of his were fast or sluggish though.

It's possible the fever could be affecting the results but since you haven't gotten pregnant in four years I would think there was a problem even before the fever. Is your dh the father of your 4 year old?

 

[pushmug7]

Pushmug, my hubby's numbers were similar to yours except he had almost 0 normal forms in his sperm, but the motility was a little higher at 30%.

The fertility supplement he took had L carnitine tartrate in it. L carnitine is a vital nutrient for sperm.

Lots of men have had success with improving their sperm with supplements so don't get discouraged!

yes he is the father , we ttced for 6 months , 4 years ago we had dh tested and he had a motility problem but i just cant remember his numbers the dr gave him vits and 2 months later we conceived but im afraid if his counts are much worse now.

for four years we never dtd on ovulation days and we were very careful but then i felt that no one could be THAT careful. so now im freaking out

 

[CaliDreaming]

yes he is the father , we ttced for 6 months , 4 years ago we had dh tested and he had a motility problem but i just cant remember his numbers the dr gave him vits and 2 months later we conceived but im afraid if his counts are much worse now.

for four years we never dtd on ovulation days and we were very careful but then i felt that no one could be THAT careful. so now im freaking out

That is really encouraging that the supplements worked the last time. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work again. My hubby's numbers were worse than yours and the supps still worked so you two have a really good shot at a bfp very soon. Our stories are really similar because it took us eight months to conceive our first. We didn't use supps but dh had started eating healthier.

 

[pushmug7]

i hope so... everyone around me is getting pregnant , im starting to feel left out
thanks for the encouragement