Sperm DNA Fragmentation Test

[Millbanks]

Hi lovely ladies,

Just wondering if anyone’s OH has had a DNA frag test and if it was helpful?

Thanks xx

[Orla9298]

Yes definitely!

We did the sperm comet test via our clinic, which they said was ok even though one factor was borderline. But then we did a slightly different dna frag test via a clinic in Greece which revealed high levels of oxidising chemicals in my husbands semen which needed addressing as could be damaging sperm and early embryo development and we found out that it was due to E. coli in his sample. Once antibiotics were finished for that, we repeated via top urologist in London and he checked everything and they were happy with his new results.

The thing is, both my clinic comet test, plus the Greek clinic, neither actually dealt with it for us and we had to deal with it ourselves, understanding the results and pushing for treatment. The London consultant was great and I’d go direct to him of I were to do it again. X

[Millbanks in reply to Orla9298]

Thanks Orla, that’s really interesting. I hope it worked out well for you xxx

[Kaylon]

Hi Millbanks, my hubby saw a top urologist in Londonn as well. Have a feeling it may have been the same as Orla's husband. We had male factor and were frustrated that our clinic weren't interested in investigating his medical history further. So we went there privately. They found urea plasma in his semen which was a germ treated with antibiotics for both of us. And the urologist was quite positive that once the treatment was completed his DNA fragmentation should improve. Our next round was successful so this could have had something to do with it. I can highly recommend seeing a urologist esp if male factor is your reason for IVF. Happy to send you his name via PM. Xxx

[Millbanks in reply to Kaylon]

Thanks Kaylon and congratulations on your BFP! If you could PM me his name that would be great! M xx

[Kaylon in reply to Millbanks]

Thank you 🙏 just sent you a PM xxx

[Ladypii in reply to Kaylon]

We have also seen this same dr, the fourth urologist we saw and he is brilliant! By far the best we have ever seen, You will not regret seeing him! Xx

[Millbanks in reply to Ladypii]

Thanks! Love a good recommendation xx

[Chebellagina in reply to Ladypii]

Could this be Mr J. Ram***? Currently trying to get my husband to see a better Urologist because of his high sperm DNA Fragmentation & looking for any and all recommendations!

[Ladypii in reply to Chebellagina]

It is indeed, we saw 4 urologists across the country and he was the only one prepared to try something different other than “use a donor”. Xxx

[Hidden in reply to Kaylon]

How long did you wait between the antibiotics and starting your IVF treatment? X

[Kaylon in reply to Hidden]

Hi Tennis1000, we took the antibiotics in June and started the long protocol in October. So 3/4 months later. X

[Hidden in reply to Kaylon]

How long was the course of antibiotics? What do you mean by long protocol? Thank you for your help. Just deciding whether to bring IVF forward slightly as worried about another lockdown.

[Kaylon in reply to Hidden]

We took the antibiotics for 1 week I think. And sorry long protocol refers to the treatment plan I was on at the clinic (down-regging before we started stims) x

[feminist in reply to Kaylon]

Sorry to intrude but would you be able to send me the urologists name as well? Thank you xx

[Ladypii in reply to feminist]

Hello, it’s Dr J Ramsay xx

[TTCWithCHSweetheart in reply to Kaylon]

Hey lovely. We have just had our results back and need to see a urologist also. Would you mind sending me the name of the person you saw? X

[Ladypii in reply to TTCWithCHSweetheart]

Hello, I’m not sure if this is a reply to my post or one of the ones above mine. But we saw Dr Jonathan Ramsay at London Urology Associates. He has 40 years worth of research behind him and is brilliant! I’m not sure if you’ve watched the bbc3 documentary “me, my brother and our balls” but he features on that at the end and basically saves the day! He has literally changed our lives and we are so so glad we found him xxx

[TTCWithCHSweetheart in reply to Ladypii]

This is so good to hear. He is the doctor we have been told to see and I’m so pleased to hear other people recommend him. We have been told once or twice that the lack of blastocysts and pregnancies is “probably” due to my egg quality even though I’m only 30. I think this is a huge guess by the clinic as they didn’t look into my husband very much at all. Our DNA frag test showed evidence of problems and we have been told that it could be a male factor. I’m not ruling out my egg quality as it has been mentioned but there’s no proof so I’m just not sure xxx

[Zebedee1971]

Yeah, we did. Honestly thought it was a waste of money as I already knew my other half's sperm wasn't the issue (his sperm results from the basic test came back better than average) but it put our mjnd at ease at least, and ruled out his side. Our clinic also talked us into karyotype testing, again I thought it was a waste of money even before we paid. But its easy to say that when things come back normal... We got talked into imsi too, even though we had no issues fertilising before, and we still only ended up with 2 embryos, albeit slightly better quality. But we could have had imsi without the fragmentation testing 🙄 so many tests and not all of them useful I'm afraid

[feminist]

Hi Millbanks, we did the frag test and it was helpful. I’m our case my husband has a varicocele which has caused high levels of fragmentation with very little viable sperm. It helped us understand where the issue was.

[feminist in reply to feminist]

Best of luck xxx

[TTCWithCHSweetheart in reply to feminist]

Hey lovely. Did you have any treatment done once you knew it was a varicocele? I know you can have it removed xx

[feminist in reply to TTCWithCHSweetheart]

Hello! Yes there’s an operation you can have for it but it doesn’t necessarily improve the DNA fragmentation. In some cases it can impact on the sperm in a negative way. He had an operation but they made us freeze sperm just before the op just in case. Best to get some medical advice around it. Xx

[TTCWithCHSweetheart in reply to feminist]

Thank you! Xx

[Lilly12255 in reply to feminist]

Hi, How did you find out about your husband having varicocele? Is there a test for this?

[feminist in reply to Lilly12255]

Yes there is an ultrasound test that can be done but he should be able to feel if there is an issue as it hurts and can cause a bit of discomfort. Best to speak to a doctor. Best of luck x