how to interpret "strict morphology" result from semen analysis??

[Anonymous]

So I finally got my husband's results back, and the morphology was only 9%. The nurse told me they like to see 14% or higher but that 9% is not a problem for going forward with IUI or other treatment. (Other numbers were great - count was excellent and motility was very good.) This is 'strict' or Kruger morphology, not WHO morphology.

After freaking out over the 9%, I did more researching & asked on another board I'm on, and I concluded that 9% is actually not bad at all and that as a practical matter, hardly any men will get a 14% or higher result because the standard is so strict. Some REs even consider 5 or 6% to be a good result?? (which begs the question of why 14% or greater is the cutoff for a "normal" result, but that's a whole different issue.)

One other thing is that we do have children already and they were conceived easily, so he's obviously got some good ones in there. I kind of think if he had a major morphology problem, we would have had some trouble in the past. Maybe not, but it's a factor in my thinking that his result is ok despite being below the 14% threshhold.

Any thoughts? Anyone else care to share your DH's result? Anyone had a result below 14% and been told it was "normal?"

[Anonymous]

My DH had a semen analysis done a few years ago, and the morphology came back at 7%. He had a second test, and it came back at 9%. I freaked out. We ended up at Shady Grove a few months later, and I told the doctor my concerns about DH's results and he laughed. He said that some labs haven't given a "normal" result in years - that very few men reach the 14% "normal." I don't really understand why they would have that as the normal cut-off if that's the case, but who knows. We did an IUI and it worked the first time.

[Anonymous]

When we got DH's semen analysis results back from Shady Grove, it came with a cover sheet with recommended interventions for different values of morphology, motility and count. I'm pretty sure they recommended IVF/ICSI for a morphology less than 5% normal on the Kruger scale and IUI for anything above that.

As an FYI, my DH's morphology on the Kruger scale is less than 1% normal and we have one child conceived without any intervention and one through IVF/ICSI so even with very, very poor morphology, all it takes is one good one!

[Anonymous]

Thank you both!

We are at SG also. I got the results from the nurse yesterday, but we have an appt with our doctor on Friday, so we will discuss it in more detail and ask more questions then. Just wanted to see if anyone could put my mind at ease a bit in the meantime - which you both did!

[Anonymous]

My DH has been tested a bunch of times over the years and his morphology has been all over the place - nothing extremely low, but sometimes low normal, sometimes borderline, and sometimes below normal. We conceived our son without intervention, and all the REs I've consulted with have told me that they are not worried about his results. Men's semen do change from month to month (depending on diet, stress, etc.), so I think this fact plus the fact that morphology is somewhat subjective accounts for the differences.

[Anonymous]

My DH had 1% morphology and we were told that IVF with ICSI was the only way to have a biological child. He went to a urologist who laughed and said not to worry about it and that it takes most people at least a year to conceive. We didn't pursue IVF and adopted instead, and now are pregnant with no intervention or even trying. Maybe his morphology changed within the last 2 years??

[Anonymous]

11:04 poster here - I forgot to mention before that we were also told that you have to take count into consideration when looking at morphology too (for example, 5% normal out of 100 million motile sperm is much better than 5% normal out of 10 million motile sperm)

[Anonymous]

Thanks, 11:04. OP again.

My Dh's count was 307 million with 57% motility, so even with 9% morphology, I guess that is still pretty good. And like I said, we have conceived before with no trouble. (Now if only my eggs and I weren't so flippin' OLD, we'd be all set!)

I've decided I have enough to worry about - I'm crossing DH's morphology off my list of things to fret over!

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I finally got my husband's results back, and the morphology was only 9%. The nurse told me they like to see 14% or higher but that 9% is not a problem for going forward with IUI or other treatment. (Other numbers were great - count was excellent and motility was very good.) This is 'strict' or Kruger morphology, not WHO morphology.

After freaking out over the 9%, I did more researching & asked on another board I'm on, and I concluded that 9% is actually not bad at all and that as a practical matter, hardly any men will get a 14% or higher result because the standard is so strict. Some REs even consider 5 or 6% to be a good result?? (which begs the question of why 14% or greater is the cutoff for a "normal" result, but that's a whole different issue.)

One other thing is that we do have children already and they were conceived easily, so he's obviously got some good ones in there. I kind of think if he had a major morphology problem, we would have had some trouble in the past. Maybe not, but it's a factor in my thinking that his result is ok despite being below the 14% threshhold.

Any thoughts? Anyone else care to share your DH's result? Anyone had a result below 14% and been told it was "normal?"

My husband received his test results and he had 44% motile, 71%Viability, and Kruger @ 13%. He was told that he was fine!! We have been trying for a year and a half with no luck.....my blood work came back normal as well. So I'm left with no real conclusion.

[Anonymous]

My DH had 4% and we got pregnant naturally.

[Anonymous]

They are great numbers - 9% strict is very normal. My dh has been between 1 and 3% strict count all the times he has been tested and we have been pregnant without intervention 3 times - 2 successful and 1 mis.

[Anonymous]

My DH had 13%, and was told it was perfectly normal. He's from a developing country, and I guess sperm count and morphology are usually better in developing countries than in developed countries? (No idea why that would be the case, the dr told us this). He had 280 million count, 81% motile.

We'd been trying for a year when we got the SA done, and what do you know? Got pregnant the next month. Just goes to show everything can be normal and it still can take a while! (And I wonder if, after having done an u/s and 3-day blood test for me, and SA for him, and finding out it was all normal, we weren't just more relaxed -- and that's what made the difference.)

[Anonymous]

It's so funny that this thread popped up to the top of the board after over a year & that I happened to see it. I'm the OP.

And I'm sitting here snuggling with my beautiful, perfect 2-month old baby. She was conceived with no intervention, after my 1st IUI cycles was cancelled and the next 3 IUIs failed. I decided to take a "mental health" break for one cycle before moving to IVF, and I got pregnant that cycle. I am 40, by the way.

So things have worked out & we are very blessed!

[Anonymous]

Congrats, OP. I am currently in the same situation as you were. Failed two natural cycle IVFs, two medicated IUIs and am now taking a break before starting a medicated IVF. Hope I will get lucky as you did. So happy to hear that at our age you can still get pregnant with no intervention.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I recently had his sperm analyzed prior to having my tubal ligation reversed and I was very discouraged with the doctor/nurse's recommendation that he was subfertile. His Kruger Strict Morophology came back 4% both times. However, as I started to look at the labs results myself I noticed something. If according to this lab the normal volume should be at least 2.0mL (his were 2.5 and3.4) and in that the sperm count # should be at least 20 million per mL ( his were 93 million/mL and 98.5 million mL ) then I don't think the 4% even matters much. I will take 4% of 95 million any day because that still means we have about 3 million "Normal" sperm right? If all the other number came out above normal then does the Kruger # really matter? I'm looking for advice more than anything on this because we opted to go ahead and have the surgery to reverse my tubes (I'm 39 with 2 kids he is 29 without children) and stressing over this is wearing on me a bit. I'm I grasping at straws here or what?

Ab