MFI Ladies, a question

ashleyann82

My DH wasn't diagnosed with MFI but his count was on the low side (46 million) and his morph was 8% and the RE felt that he was teetering on the fence between normal and not so normal.  So he suggested an IUI.

We have been sticking to an every other day sex routine for the last few days.  Just in case and to keep his numbers up.

Has your RE ever told you every other day is better than everyday, when sperm issues are present?  I know I've read that in a few places but I was just curious if your RE actually broke it down to you and explained why every other day might be better.

Reason I'm asking......DH is fighting me on it and I've explained to him several times, why we need to do it but he just isn't getting it and I was wondering if you ladies could give me some insight, so I can explain it to him better.

TIA.

OceanBreeze1

Well, my first RE told us that we could have sex every day (DH has good count & motility, just poor morph). However, I left that RE for several reasons, including she did the trigger about 5 minutes before my IUI. So I don't believe her.

I think of it this way -- when they do an SA, they have to abstain for 48 hours, for the best sample I'd think. So, I would think that EOD would be best for MFI. But that's JMO.

When you are getting monitored, my thinking is that you know when you are going to O, and the most important thing is the timing -- getting the sperm there about 6 hours on either side of O (preferably before). If you end up doing the IUI Friday, I would have sex tomorrow (or maybe tonight instead). Again, JMO.

GL!

mikeandangie

Our RE said at our first appointment that every other day is the best timeframe.  I think any way you slice it (with or without MFI), it still gives you the best chances.

ashleyann82

mikeandangie:

Our RE said at our first appointment that every other day is the best timeframe.  I think any way you slice it (with or without MFI), it still gives you the best chances.

I agree, that is what I keep telling DH but his 16 year old libido is not listening, LOL

MonaLisa213

My RE said that statistically with a normal sperm count there isn't a difference bn every day and every other day and so she recommends doing it every other day so we don't get burned out on "having" to have sex.  

gymnst1013

46mil and 8% is actually pretty good.  I wouldn't label that verging on MFI.  But our RE hasn't told us either way regarding EOD or ED.  They have just said that we should not have sex the day before IUI.

melaniesc

Every other day is what's recommended typically even when MFI isn't a factor. but with MFI if the man has a low count they definitely say every other day because it takes a while for sperm to build back up, if count is already low you're doing yourself no favors by having to BD every day.

And different RE's use different scales to determine if there is a male issue or not. What might be 'normal' to one RE may be abnormal to the next depending on the scale they use. I remember my RE telling us he used a very strict scale and we were told DH had morph and motility issues.

 We did IVF with ICSI and had DD #1. I'm now pregnant with DD #2 and we conceived naturally.

lyse2143

Mine told us every other day.

ashleyann82

melaniesc:

Every other day is what's recommended typically even when MFI isn't a factor. but with MFI if the man has a low count they definitely say every other day because it takes a while for sperm to build back up, if count is already low you're doing yourself no favors by having to BD every day.

And different RE's use different scales to determine if there is a male issue or not. What might be 'normal' to one RE may be abnormal to the next depending on the scale they use. I remember my RE telling us he used a very strict scale and we were told DH had morph and motility issues.

 We did IVF with ICSI and had DD #1. I'm now pregnant with DD #2 and we conceived naturally.

Thank you for your insight. I think my RE is using a strict scale but we are going to stick to EOD anyways. I think it's best.

everam01

Interestingly, DH has morph issues (3% strict) and his urologist told him to skip 2 days in between.  Our RE hasn't told us anything yet.

pink hydrangeas

gymnst1013:

46mil and 8% is actually pretty good.  I wouldn't label that verging on MFI.  But our RE hasn't told us either way regarding EOD or ED.  They have just said that we should not have sex the day before IUI.

This.  A normal count is greater than 20 mil, and if that morphology was using Kruger then anything over 4% is considered normal. 

That being said, I would still abstain at least 24hrs before the IUI.

SweetieD21

Dr's recommend every other day, so the sperm has time to replenish, and it increases the amount of mature sperm.  I've read that 60 million is considered an average count, but I've also read that anything over 20 million is considered normal.  Your DH's sperm morphology is fine.  It's considered good if it's over 5%, and rarely do men have morphology over 14%.