Motility of IUI vial

TTC07

We recently tried with donor 14081. When the analysis was done at the doctor office before insemination the report showed slow motility and the doctor stated the vial had a little extra in it to make up for something else that was a little off with the sperm. Are most vials slow motility when thawed before IUI? The attempt was not successful.

cryo-admin

Hi TTC -

All of our donors go through an extensive screening process that takes about 3-4 months. This qualification process includes performing repeated semen analyses and freeze-thaw analyses to confirm that the applicant consistently produces a high quality specimen. Motility, count and forward progression are all considered in this analysis. Less than 1% of applicants actually become CCB donors. In addition, even after a donor qualifies for our program, every single donation is evaluated by our lab to ensure that the specimen quality meets our high standards.

Sperm are living, moving cells and under the best of circumstances the calculation of total motile sperm count can vary. When vials are evaluated in a doctor’s office, additional variables, such as amount of time the specimen is thawed, the individual doing the counting, and the type of counting chamber used, can significantly affect the total motile sperm concentration result. (CCB uses a device called a Makler chamber to count sperm under a microscope. This counting chamber has a large depth of field that allows technicians to evaluate a three-dimensional drop of sperm. Many clinics use a system that relies on disposable slides. Disposable chambers sandwich a drop of the specimen between two slides, pushing much of liquid to the edges. While these slides are a perfectly acceptable means for evaluating a sperm sample, they are known to produce counts that are 30% lower than those derived from the Makler.)

Once thawed, sperm take some time to "wake up" and start moving again. As a result, motility actually increases after insemination as more sperm adjust to the ideal 98.6-degree environment. It is preferable to have sperm under-thawed prior to insemination. If they are over-warmed, they are more likely to die quickly. Most specimens that appear to show poor motility immediately after thaw are actually ideal once used for insemination.

If your lab staff have any questions about the vial, they can complete a specimen report for us to review. Feel free to read more about our quality standards here: http://cryobank.com/Why-Use-Us/Specimen-Quality-Standards/

I'm sorry to hear that this cycle was not successful. Please keep in mind that it is somewhat rare to get a BFP on your first IUI. For the average, healthy woman it usually takes 3-4 IUIs to achieve pregnancy.

Best of luck with your next insemination, we'll keep our fingers crossed for you!

Regards,

Nicole
CCB