Can someone help me understand this Semen Analysis?

I'm filling out paperwork for MS, and in doing so dug up an old S/A that was done back in 2004 when we were TTC DS1.  We got pregnant right as the results came in, so I never really looked at them.  Now I am wondering if something is up.  Would MS deny us for this?  I've typed it below exactly as it appears on the form.  The morphology (only 2% normal - am I reading this right?) is what surprises me.  Also the motility grade of only 2.

Concentration (mill/ml)  43.00 

Total Count (millions) 120.40

Motility (%)  67.00

Grade of Motility (1 to 4)   2

Kruger Strict Morphology

Normal %:  2                                                          Normal Interpretation: > 4%

           Amorphous Head %:  98

           Large Head %:  0                                         Tapered Head %:  0

           Small Head %:  0                                          Tail Defect %: 0

           Midpiece Defects %:  0                                  Immature %:  0

Hhhhmmmm, that one might not qualify...he might have to have another one that is more recent.  The motility number is good - must be over 50% to qualify for MS, so he is good there...but the count is a bit too low.  His count will need to be over 140 million to qualify for MS.  He isn't too far away though, so it's possible that if he stays out of the bath / hottub, takes some of the vitamins recommended, or some Proxeed / or Fertility Blend, that he will be able to get that number up.  the only way to know is to get him on the vitamins and suppliments and then try another Sperm analysis with HRC or GIFT.  Right now, based only on what you are sharing, his count is too low.   But you can improve that. 

Also, these numbers will still work fine for IVF/PGD if you decide to go that route.  Hope that helps.  Ask HRC about the proxeed and they can tell you where to order it from.

HMC

Ok, I am definitely not an expert, and you should definitely ask but I recall hrc saying min 140 count for MS IUI and min 70 count for MS with IVF.

I agree with HMC you could definitely improve your DH count hopefully by just adding some supplments to his diet and following some of the well known tips that fertility experts suggest.  This link has some great ideas and tips on how to improve SA it is also trying to sell a product but I like the info they have on it and I remember finding it helpful for me. 

http://www.fertilinet.com/male.htm, http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/increasesperm.html,

I am a big fan of supplements (I had my DH on Fertility Blend, Omega 3,6.9, L-Carnitine, CQ10 and couple other things during our whole process).    I know most of us focus on our bodies but I know during my journey I felt it was very important to make sure my DH was on anything and everything that could help him that was healthy.  His diet and overall lifestyle was very healthy and his SA were very good so adding the supplements just made me feel better and also made him "feel" like he was doing something extra to help as well.  I know many others in the past who have really focused on making sure their DH take supplements and there are many old threads on here from those discussions if you want to search for them to also get some more info. 

Also, abstaining can significantly impact sperm count. I have read that if someone has low sperm count issue that waiting 48 hours is optimal-- so this also needs to be considered  as a cutoff time prior to you husband's next SA or before he gives his sample to be sorted and used for you IUI/MS.    I have seen some do a 72 hour and even 36 hour cutoff prior to IUI/MS or MS sort for IVF too.  I think I did 2.5 days the time I got my best sort with MS and that was also the sort that my DH had been on the supplements and vitamins the longest-- so I can only think that cutoff and supplements helped in some way.  Good Luck to you.   TJ

**Oh forgot to add that I read this on another site about sperm morphology ratings like the one your lab used --, " that the Many labs use Kruger "strict " criteria (developed in South Africa ) for judging sperm normality. Only sperm which are "perfect" are considered to be normal. A normal sample should have at least 15% normal forms (which means even upto 85% abnormal forms is considered to be acceptable !)  This was copied from this site - http://www.drmalpani.com/book/chapter4b.html#What%20is%20a%20normal%20sperm%20count

trojan girl:

Ok, I am definitely not an expert, and you should definitely ask but I recall hrc saying min 140 count for MS IUI and min 70 count for MS with IVF.

Thanks to everyone for all the info - it is very helpful!  Does anyone know for sure if the above statement is true?

Ilovemykids:

Does anyone know for sure if the above statement is true?

That sounds about right to me too with regard to motile sperm (not total counts).  My husband's motility was always borderline so we had a lot of conversations about this for our MS/IUI and MS/IVF.  Kelley at HRC said that they need far less motile sperm for IVF than they do for IUI since they're using ICSI.  And I think she said they need at least 70 million motile sperm before the sort for IVF in order to have enough after the sort.  They are big into motility since the process can be tough on the sperm, so you're great in that area! 

My husband took fertility blend (2 in the AM and 1 in the PM with zinc) and his motility went up from 30% to 80% on sort day, so I would definitely recommend fertility blend for men.  It also increased his overall counts and improved his numbers across the board (morphology, etc.).  They need to be on it for at least 3 months for it to make a difference though.  When are you planning to cycle?

Twoboysandcounting:

My husband took fertility blend (2 in the AM and 1 in the PM with zinc) and his motility went up from 30% to 80% on sort day, so I would definitely recommend fertility blend for men.  It also increased his overall counts and improved his numbers across the board (morphology, etc.).  They need to be on it for at least 3 months for it to make a difference though.  When are you planning to cycle?

thanks!!  we have about 7 months to wait so I've just started him on a multi-vitamin for men and am researching all the "extras" for him, including fertility blend and something called conceptionXR.  Thanks!!