sperm count questions

[auntcarrie]

Hi there...

I just had my first IUI today. We did it without Clomid or other drugs this time due to the timing of everything (we first went to the clinic last Wednesday).

So far, everything on my side is coming back OK. I'm ovulating, my dye test went well. My DH has not had a semen analysis yet, but they did a sperm count today while prepping for the IUI.

They told me that his numbers are 16M (million), 55%, so 8.8M net. They said it was low, but led me to believe that this did not mean he had low sperm count. I really wasn't sure what to ask -- but now I'm home & online and it sounds like these were per ml, and they sound low. I even just read that anything under 20M was considered infertile...

WHAT!

Of course the office is now closed, so I can't call to ask more questions. They said it wasn't so bad that they would say not to do the IUI... and that "it only takes one!"... but now I'm concerned.

Can anyone shed some light on this -- ? Has anyone seen such low numbers before? Or am I reading things wrong?

If you have any help, please share. Thanks!

 

[rachelle1975]

Hey hun

if it was his first SA then try not to worry (easier said than done i know).

'normal' guidelines are 20-99 million and they say that anything above or below that is classed as 'abnormal'. having said that, sperm matures every 70-90 days so you would need to have another SA done, spaced apart to see if it was a 'one off' - which it totally can be.

IUI is a good thing - my clinic will do IUI if you have 10-20 million and putting the swimmers where they need to be can work hun. hey, i got told i could still fall pregnant naturally and DH has about 2 million decent ones so it can happen.

Did they say what would happen after IUI? If you weren't successful how many goes would you get?

Good luck and ring the clinic in the morning xxx

 

[rachelle1975]

Hey hun

if it was his first SA then try not to worry (easier said than done i know).

'normal' guidelines are 20-99 million and they say that anything above or below that is classed as 'abnormal'. having said that, sperm matures every 70-90 days so you would need to have another SA done, spaced apart to see if it was a 'one off' - which it totally can be.

IUI is a good thing - my clinic will do IUI if you have 10-20 million and putting the swimmers where they need to be can work hun. hey, i got told i could still fall pregnant naturally and DH has about 2 million decent ones so it can happen.

Did they say what would happen after IUI? If you weren't successful how many goes would you get?

Good luck and ring the clinic in the morning xxx

 

[miel]

we just did my husband yesterday and this the guide line for the results..

esults

A semen analysis measures the amount of semen a man produces and determines the number and quality of spermClick here to see an illustration. in the semen sample. Results of a semen analysis are usually available within a day. Normal values may vary from lab to lab.
Semen analysis

Semen volume
Normal:

1.0–6.5 milliliters (mL) per ejaculation
Abnormal:

An abnormally low or high semen volume is present, which may sometimes cause fertility problems.

Liquefaction time
Normal:

Less than 60 minutes
Abnormal:

An abnormally long liquefaction time is present, which may indicate an infection.

Sperm count
Normal:

20–150 million sperm per milliliter (mL)

0 sperm per milliliter if the man has had a vasectomy
Abnormal:

A very low sperm count is present, which may indicate infertility. However, a low sperm count does not always mean that a man cannot father a child. Men with sperm counts below 1 million have fathered children.

Sperm shape (morphology)
Normal:

At least 70% of the sperm have normal shape and structure.
Abnormal:

Sperm can be abnormal in several ways, such as having two heads or two tails, a short tail, a tiny head (pinhead), or a round (rather than oval) head. Abnormal sperm may be unable to move normally or to penetrate an egg. Some abnormal sperm are usually found in every normal semen sample. However, a high percentage of abnormal sperm may make it more difficult for a man to father a child.

Sperm movement (motility)
Normal:

At least 60% of the sperm show normal forward movement.

At least 8 million sperm per milliliter (mL) show normal forward movement.
Abnormal:

Sperm must be able to move forward (or "swim") through cervical mucus to reach an egg. A high percentage of sperm that cannot swim properly may impair a man's ability to father a child.

Semen pH
Normal:

Semen pH of 7.1–8.0
Abnormal:

An abnormally high or low semen pH can kill sperm or affect their ability to move or to penetrate an egg.

White blood cells
Normal:

No white blood cells or bacteria are detected.
Abnormal:

Bacteria or a large number of white blood cells are present, which may indicate an infection.

Fructose level
Normal:

300 milligrams (mg) of fructose per 100 milliliters (mL) of ejaculate


and this the result we got for him...

Component Your Value Standard Range
COLLECTION TIME, SEMEN 0905
SEMEN VOLUME 3.9 >2.0- mL
SEMEN, TIME READ 0855
PH, SEMEN 8.0 >7.2-
INTERPRETATION SEE NOTE
SPERMATOZOA, RAPID % 40 >25- %
SPERMATOZOA, SLOW % 20 >50- %
SPERMATOZOA, NONPROGRESSIVE %10 0-50 %
SPERMATOZOA, IMMOTILE % 30 0-50 %
LIQUEFACTION, SEMEN YES
APPEARANCE, SEMEN NORMAL NORMAL-
SPERM COUNT, SEMEN 109.3 >=20- M/mL
SPERMATOZOA, MORPHOLOGY 80 >=30- %Norml
WBC COUNT, SEMEN FEW NoneSeen- HPF
RBC COUNT, SEMEN, LIGHT MICROSCOPY FEW NoneSeen- HPF


i am waiting on my doc to call me to let me know if we are ok ( i think we are ) but i want to give you some guide line...and maybe you can compare.

 

[auntcarrie]

Did they say what would happen after IUI? If you weren't successful how many goes would you get?

Hey Rachelle -
Thanks for the note. We get 3 IUI with Clomid (we did not use Clomid this go-around), then 3 - 6 of IUI with Clomid & Injectables. Then who knows. Not sure if my insurance would cover IVF and not sure I want to go there anyway...

But this prompts another question -- the success rates with each of the above mentioned drugs increases (eg: 10% - 15% w/Clomid, 20% - 25% with Clomid/Injectables, and even better with IVF... my percentages might be slightly off but this is the jist). Is that just if the woman has fertility issues? Or would they still increase with low sperm count issues?

Thanks to all of you for your advice!

 

[careth]

For an iui, whats really important is the morphology rate. My husband has major sperm issues pretty much in every area, so we had do ivf with icsi. If his morphology wasnt so bad we could have done an iui. So even if the volume was on the lower side, thats okay, its the morph thats important with an iui. Good luck!

 

[Underpants]

Hello I am new to this site and haven't used anything like this before so please bear with me - I am just learning all the abbreviations etc!!

I am just wondering if anyone has any advice or stories similar to the situation I am in . . . .

My husband and I have been TTC for 15 months now, he has just had a SA which came back as 3ml, quite good motility but only 6% morphology. He is booked in for another one in a few months

I am also about to have various tests to check ovaries and ovulation etc. as my cycles are a bit all over the place.

My question is, should it turn out that both of us have issues, what are our chances of getting treatment on the NHS? I am 29 and he is 32 and neither of us have any other children. I have been reading about IUI and ICSI and IVF and it all just seems like an absolute minefield. What treatments do you have to pay for and roughly how much do they cost?

I know I should really wait until we have results back before worrying about this but I like to be prepared for what "could" be.

Sorry this is a long first post!!

Sal x

 

[Aria]

You can't take just one factor and determine there's a problem that way. He may have a higher volume than average, and higher motility. Better to have 16m with a higher motility and volume than 95m with low motility and volume.