Low Sperm Count

29lesbian

I had my first IUI on August 1 and the vial we used had only 12 million sperm with 20% motile, making it only about 2.4 million active sperm. Needless to say the IUI was not successful and we are going to try again this month. My question is: Has anyone had experience with using a donor with low sperm? This was the first vial we used of the donor and are unsure if we should change donors immediately or try again with the same donor? Could the low numbers be a fluke, or if one vial is low does that mean they will all be relatively low?

cristina1129

I got the numbers from my doctor on donor 13822. I thought he didn't test but he did. First vial pre wash 50 % motility and 11.28 total motile sperm count and after thaw 90% motility and 6.56 total motile sperm. Second vial 11.64 initial total motile sperm and post thaw 7.68 total motile sperm. motility 55% pre and 90 % post thaw. Still didn't work though.

ttc101

I just had my IUI yesterday using the purchased donor sperm 13995 from California cryobank.

Very disappointed that the vial after wash only has 9.4 million total count, and only 2.4 motile sperm count.

My entire cycle IS WASTED BY such low sperm count. Who would expect to buy such low quality sperms??
I am calling the cryobank on Monday for a refund.

cryo-admin

Hi All -

Please note that there are a number of factors to consider in counting sperm:

1. Perhaps most important is the wash that is performed by outside labs. California Cryobank IUI vials have been pre-washed prior to freezing and should not be washed again post-thaw. A post-thaw wash of an IUI vials will more than likely take it below our target standard of 10 million total motile sperm. Performing a post-thaw wash on an IUI is basically washing away all healthy sperm. Even washing an ICI vial potentially washes away healthy sperm, which is why we wash our IUI vials before we freeze them. If your physician is getting low counts post-wash, make sure they aren’t washing IUI vials. If you are ordering ICI vials and still getting low counts, you may want to suggest your physician contact us to discuss their wash method.

2. Different counting methods produce significantly different results that are widely documented to vary by as much as 30%. Many clinics use disposable slides to count the specimen. This process flattens out the sample and pushes much of the liquid to the edge of the slide away from the focal point of the count. Think about it like squishing a drop of water between two glass slides and putting it under a microscope. You are not seeing the whole 3D drop, only a small percentage of the flattened out drop. It doesn’t mean the rest of the drop isn’t still there. CCB uses specially designed chambers that allow for a much more accurate count by not mashing down the specimen.

3. Motility increases as the sperm continue to “wake up” post-thaw. It can take sperm 20-30 minutes to fully “reanimate” after being frozen. In order to optimize the number of healthy sperm, you actually want the specimen to be a bit “under-thawed” at the time of insemination. Sperm continue to come to life inside the body, so inseminating cold (even frozen) sperm is completely fine. If you over-thaw the vial, sperm are quickly killed off. Basically, counts are generally done prior to all the sperm waking up.

4. The majority of sub-standard reports we receive come from a small handful of clinics that use the same CCB specimens as thousands of others clinics around the world that have no such issues. It’s not that these few clinics are doing anything wrong. It is the technique and interpretation they are using to assess the specimen quality. Considering the tiny amount of fluid actually contained in a vial, it only takes a slight variance in calculation to turn a perfectly acceptable vial into a seemingly substandard vial.

5. Finally, CCB stands by our published standards. However, it is important to note that multiple studies over the years have determined that pregnancy rates do not increase above 5 million total motile sperm. In other words, 5 million and 50 million sperm give you the same chance of getting pregnant. The most recent study has suggested the magic number could be as low as 2-2.5 million. The reason CCB provides a standard of 10 million total motile sperm is that we are giving you double the amount necessary. The point here is that even if your vial is under 10 million (even ignoring all the information above), you are certainly not “wasting” a cycle. Your chances of success have not been hampered.

Regards,

Nicole
CCB