Infertility

Help me interpret SA?

Hello everyone,

This is only my second time ever posting, but I have lurked for quite a while. I am hoping that someone could help me interpret my DH's SA and that this is the most appropriate board for me to post regarding this issue.

My DH and I had only been TTC for two months when he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. Thankfully it was caught early and he has since finished chemo and is in the clear. Upon his diagnosis his oncologist suggested we bank some sperm as chemo can cause temporary or sometimes permanent infertility. DH was only able to get to the sperm bank twice before his surgery and treatment because everything happened so quickly, but we ended up getting a total of 9 straws (vials?). We are ready to move forward with TTC, but we have not yet met with an RE (our appointment is in 3 weeks) and so we haven't had a chance to ask anyone about how his numbers look from an IUI vs IVF standpoint. When we went to the sperm bank my DH literally just went in, made his deposit and left so there was no type of consultation or interpretation of results. Anyway, we received a copy of his SA and the info is as follows:

1st sample:
Initial count 34.3, post thaw 20.0
Motility initial 96.1, post thaw 83.3
Progression 3+, post thaw 3+
Total motile 49.4. post thaw 8.33

2nd sample
Initial count 66.3, post thaw 29.3
Motility initial 86.9, post thaw 71.6
Progression 3+, post thaw 3+
Total motile 201.7, post thaw 6.3

Initially we thought this was great, but we were really only looking at his count and motility as their own individual figures. Reading through forum after forum I noticed that some people would refer to their Total Motile numbers, whereas some would mention their count and motility separately and base their decisions on that. I feel like his count and motility look good, but the total motile is on the low side. Anyway, I'd like to know exactly what an RE is going to focus on regarding these numbers. I know most REs say that 5 million post thaw is the minimum required for IUI, but is this meaning total motile or just the straight up sperm count? We are limited because these 9 vials are all that we have so I don't want to "waste them" if there isn't a decent chance it would result in pregnancy (though I know the chances are low via IUI to begin with). I am thinking that if we are supposed to be going by the post thaw motile numbers then maybe it would be best to go right to IVF. DH and I are both 30 and neither of us have ever had children. Any thoughts or advice are appreciated. Thanks so much!

Re: Help me interpret SA?

  • @AlexK2015 -  Just wanted to say I'm sorry about your struggles... I'm sure that has been quite the scare for you both.
    In terms of your SA, your RE is really the best person to fill you in on all those details. Lots of things factor into how good or viable a sample is, including morphology etc. but my first instinct is that this looks relatively good. I'm no doctor though. Wishing you loads of success on your journey.
    ---
    Started TTC April 2011
    Me: 32, DH: 32
    Diagnosis: Endometriosis

    • 2012 - 3 Rounds clomid - all BFN
    • 2013 - 1 Fresh IVF with 2 day 3 embryos - BFN
    • 2014 - 1 Frozen IVF with 2 day 5 embryos - BFN
    • Took a long break, continuing trying naturally
    • Feb 2016 - Biopsy = Endo, DH sperm improved from 1% to 6% morphology
    • March 2016 - Fresh IVF cycle with acupuncture & intralipids: 20 eggs retrieved (17 mature), 7 ICSI'd fertilized, 9 naturally fertilized. 16 total embryos!
    • April 8th - 2 embryos (1ICSI and 1 Natural) transferred. (7 blastocysts frozen), April 18th - Beta = BFN
    • Sept 23rd - Lupron Depot Injection for Endo control
    • Nov 15th 2016 - Started daily Lupron Injections for upcoming FET
    • Nov 22 - Baseline US/BW - Intralipid Infusion - Start Meds for FET with immune protocol
    • Dec 16th FET transfer of 3 embryos (1 - AA, 2 - BB)
    • TW below
    • Dec 22nd - first ever bfp (very faint lines FRER & cheapie)
    • Dec 27th Beta = 192, Dec 29th Beta = 379
    • EDD - Sept 5th 2017

    - - -
    I'm a YouTube vlogger who talks about Infertility, IVF and Endometriosis. Check it out here!
    Follow along at http://liv4today.blog
    Instagram @liv4todayvlog 


  • Thanks so much!
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