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[Uklondon786]

Hi guys just looking at my semen analysis could anyone kindly explain the report to me . Thank you

[Dogmum37]

Hi there,

Everything in brackets are the WHO suggestions for what they would consider OK. So your progressive motility (a measure of how many are moving forwards in a way they would seem normal) is 78%.... a figure of greater than 32% is what your results is saying is considered OK. Similarity morphology (a measure of how many have a normal looking appearance in terms of shape etc) is 6% which is ok as anything greater than 4 is considered normal.

At the bottom they have commented about low numbers of sperm present and that because of this the count may not be accurate... this is because your speed concentration (how many are present in one ml of sperm) is 0.84 million. They consider a figure of 15 million or more as ok. So because the number is lower the comment at the bottom seems to be highlighting that the other numbers may not be accurate.

It may be worthwhile speaking to the clinic and asking about when to re-test. I was told by our clinic that the sample you give, those sperm have been produced by the mans body 3 months ago. So you can get differences sample to sample depending on natural changes, lifestyle etc. They can make suggestions about when to re-test and supplements to take in the meantime if doing a re-test is recommended by them.

Hope this helps xx

[Uklondon786 in reply to Dogmum37]

Thank you for clarifying. This test is a years old after our failed cycle I lost faith ,but now am thinking of testing again .

[Dogmum37 in reply to Uklondon786]

Yeah I would. It surprising how much they can change. We started ivf late 2017. My husbands sample then was all above the normal ranges. Each cycle they have never commented in the sample given for the egg fertilisation. This last month though after another fresh round they did comment on his sample and his motility has dropped by about 45% since his initial sample when first starting. That’s how in conversation we ended up talking about it with the clinic and they said that because men’s samples have been made roughly 3 months ago you can see changes sample to sample depending on environmental and lifestyle factors.

Keep your chin up - I’ve nearly lost faith at times.... We find it really gruelling as it’s not just the physical and emotional rollercoaster of the treatment itself, it affects so much in terms of how you cope with friends, family, work etc particularly when others are starting families. Plus the financial side of things.

Really wishing you the best of luck with you’re next steps x

[Uklondon786 in reply to Dogmum37]

Thank you so much, once I get my new reports I will defently upload them

[Uklondon786 in reply to Dogmum37]

So everything is fine but the count ?

[Dogmum37 in reply to Uklondon786]

Going off comparing the numbers to the WHO references numbers in brackets - yes. But they have made a point within the comments of saying that the concentration of sperm is low compared to the WHO reference comparison. They say due to the low numbers of sperm present, count rate may not be accurate ... so they are erring one the side of caution with the accuracy of their numbers due to the low numbers seen.

I would really be having a conversation with the clinic about it as taken in conjunction with your own medical information they will be able to give you a more detailed narrative on next steps in terms of doing another sample if they think it can be improved or treatment suggestions such as ICSI. My understanding is what they suggest will all depend on the finer detail of you and your medical data.

As you said earlier, if it’s a sample done a while ago, and sperm is made roughly on a three monthly cycle, the only way of knowing the state of play as of now is to do a sample now really. Then in conjunction with all other relevant info they have about you they can make suggestions on how or whether the sample can be improved. Hope this makes sense. My understanding is it depends on the individual - and the clinic will have detailed knowledge of you and your medical background, previous ivf treatment etc which will all inform what there suggestions will be.

You can search within this forum for posts mentioning specific keywords - I’ve definitely seen posts from people which goes into more detail on what they did with their clinic after samples with lower numbers. I would have a look at those as then it will give you some specific questions to ask the clinic based on people are a bit further down the journey from you. Also I have found the fertility network charity really good as they can provide you with lists of questions to ask, which really help in getting some specific focus from them.

Best of luck. Many clinics will do telephone or Skype consults at the moment.

[Florencenightingale]

Looks like all great numbers but the sperm count, so the amount of sperm in the sample seems very low. Do you know how many days he was abstinent for prior to the sample?

My partners numbers (other than sperm count which was 11million per ml) were much worse than these and we got a BFP, keeping my fingers crossed for you xx

[Rella22]

Dogmum gave excellent feedback!

Just from personal experience my husband's progressive motility was 2% and morphology was less than 2% so chances were rather grim... but luckily with IVF we are mid way to meet our baby.

I think your numbers overall are much better than many, would recommend providing different samples and freezing the best outcome.

Also with the count, my clinic said abstinence of 2 days or no more than 7 days is recommended. Anything longer than this greatly impacts parameters and the overall count.

Best wishes to you!