Hi, been trying for over 2 years now, wife and I really devastated as really wanted to be parents by now. Was tested last year and have low sperm motility, around 4% from what I remember. Wife and I both have bmis too high so no help from nhs until we tick the boxes on the form. Tried lots of supplements and spent £100s but to no avail. Wondered if there's any other guys in similar situation, be nice to have someone to talk to and give/receive some support. Wife just gets upset when I talk about it and think she's given up and has set her heart on adoption but not really what I want. Thanks for reading 😀 Dan
New Husband with low motility ttc
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Hi don't give up! Have you tried other treatment such as reflexology? Acupuncture? Ive been following slimming world and it has helped bring my bmi down!
My husband had a vasectomy reversal and his was low to begin with but over time after he started taking wellman his results have improved.
Stay positive it will happen!!
My husband had a vasectomy reversal and his was low to begin with but over time after he started taking wellman his results have improved.
Stay positive it will happen!!
haylower
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First thing, well done for seekin some advice. This stuff isn't easy
You know your Bmi is a problem, so take some time and both of you together get healthy. Not necessarily hot and ripped, but into a healthy Bmi range. It's done me the world of good, I had fertility issues but I was morbidly obese.
Healthy eating and exercise cost nothing in comparison to fertility treatment. So get healthy together, once you get there, try again ��
You know your Bmi is a problem, so take some time and both of you together get healthy. Not necessarily hot and ripped, but into a healthy Bmi range. It's done me the world of good, I had fertility issues but I was morbidly obese.
Healthy eating and exercise cost nothing in comparison to fertility treatment. So get healthy together, once you get there, try again ��
Birdie
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Sorry to hear of your ttc troubles & it's great that you are seeking support and advice.
I read that motility can be affected by a level of insulin resistance - which if you have a high bmi, it is possible you are affected by. This is something you can really tackle easily yourself though. If you take a good look at your diet, how often are you eating carbohydrates & sugars (including fruit)?
My guess would be 3 meals a day plus snacks - which causes the body to produce insulin almost constantly. Try adjusting your diet so that carbs/sugar/fruits make up a much smaller part & it could make a big difference. There are no real downsides to this - as insulin is the hormone that triggers the storage of fat in the body - so reducing insulin levels in general will help you lose weight & improve your general health if nothing else. I hope you get things sorted & go on to have your much wanted family very soon!
I read that motility can be affected by a level of insulin resistance - which if you have a high bmi, it is possible you are affected by. This is something you can really tackle easily yourself though. If you take a good look at your diet, how often are you eating carbohydrates & sugars (including fruit)?
My guess would be 3 meals a day plus snacks - which causes the body to produce insulin almost constantly. Try adjusting your diet so that carbs/sugar/fruits make up a much smaller part & it could make a big difference. There are no real downsides to this - as insulin is the hormone that triggers the storage of fat in the body - so reducing insulin levels in general will help you lose weight & improve your general health if nothing else. I hope you get things sorted & go on to have your much wanted family very soon!
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Thanks everybody, I've tried the wellman too for around 12 months but didn't make much difference. I also drink and smoke so I know that's something else I need to change. Overall trying to change my lifestyle, lost 2 stone now, on the way to the right bmi 😀 Not tried reflexology or acupuncture but I suppose they're things to consider, did anyone have good results from these?
My gp wasn't very helpful at all after the sperm tests, pretty much said it's hopeless and there's no treatment so had to find supplements and hints and tips myself along the way. I'm hoping that once I've changed my lifestyle they might be a bit more supportive, hopefully be able to do some more tests to see if any of it has worked.
Does anyone else have annoying friends and family who keep asking when you're going to have kids? Really annoys me and just makes it all so much more painful. Fallen out with family members too because they couldn't understand why we didn't get out the red carpet when they got pregnant 😞.
Anyway hope everyone is having a nice weekend 😀
My gp wasn't very helpful at all after the sperm tests, pretty much said it's hopeless and there's no treatment so had to find supplements and hints and tips myself along the way. I'm hoping that once I've changed my lifestyle they might be a bit more supportive, hopefully be able to do some more tests to see if any of it has worked.
Does anyone else have annoying friends and family who keep asking when you're going to have kids? Really annoys me and just makes it all so much more painful. Fallen out with family members too because they couldn't understand why we didn't get out the red carpet when they got pregnant 😞.
Anyway hope everyone is having a nice weekend 😀
kittykitchn
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Funnily enough, my husband has 4% motility and he's been told it's absolutely fine...
haylower
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Don't let family get to you
Deffffffinitely stop drinking. The smoking and drinking can make sperm very sluggish and before you can even begin to ttc you have to focus on those things because it'll help the motility. Im sorry your gp was shit but maybe seek other opinions x
Deffffffinitely stop drinking. The smoking and drinking can make sperm very sluggish and before you can even begin to ttc you have to focus on those things because it'll help the motility. Im sorry your gp was shit but maybe seek other opinions x
Is it motility or morphology that is 4%? I only ask because 4% morphology is actually considered normal on the strict testing scale used in the UK. Motility is a different issue though of course and could do with being higher. My hubby's sperm is up and down, I've had him on the zita west supplements (pricey but good) as well as 1000mg vit c with added zinc and pycnogenol which is a strong antioxidant. He also cut his caffeine intake way down, had acupuncture for a while, usual loose underwear, no laptop on the lap for ages etc. This did manage to bring my hubby's sperm up to the bottom end of normal so maybe add a few things into the mix. A few drinks isn't going to hurt but unfortunately smoking will but it sounds like you're on the road to a better lifestyle. Tis hard work for sure x
Yeah it's definitely motility, I'll check the numbers again tomorrow as don't have results at the moment but from what I remember I was above average/minimum for all other things. I know the smoking and drinking is terrible so that's what I'm going to work on first of all �� I've already cut down caffeine to just an occasional Starbucks as a treat and always sleep naked and put an ice pack down there once a day to keep them cool, don't have a laptop so that's not an issue, I have taken all sorts of supplements in the past but most of them had mxed testimonials, just on multivitamins at the moment with the zinc, vit c, folic acid, chromium, and selenium. Been losing weight but gong to make sure I have plenty of fruit and veg, oily fish, red meat, and try and stay away from the bad stuff �� Anyone had Good results from any supplements? Willing to try anything that helps at this point. Thanks ��
MrUnicorn
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Hi Dan, I've got low morphology and in looking into the research it does appear booze has a considerable effect on motility. I would personally knock that on the head completely if you can for at least three months then get retested. It will probably help lower your BMI too!
I've just done 5 months off the drink and while I won't pretend it was easy, it wasn't that bad at all. The main difficulty was social occasions where we weren't the couples with kids who left early, or the younger crowd getting wrecked. Though it did make me wonder whether I was just drinking to fit in.
You'll see other benefits too like improved sleep (will also help with sperm quality) and better mental health. Also, you'll have a bunch more cash to spend on whatever you like, or save towards the baby fund.
Have you tried an electronic cigarette? I couldn't find any hard findings on whether it's nicotine specifically, or smoking in general (with all the additional nasties) that affects sperm quality. Also saves a HUGE amount of money if you stop smoking ready-made fags.
I switched completely in just three days btw. I wasn't expecting it to be as satisfying but it is.
Weight-wise, rather than aerobic exercise like running, cycling or stuff that sounds like hard work to me, have you considered weights or similar? Don't need to go to a gym or go mad with exercise at first, just build it up. Add 1 press-up a day kind of thing. I think you might be surprised how quickly your body changes shape with weight training, even small weights. I'd reckon you will see some change in less than a month if you exercise twice a week.
Or just go for a short walk after work or lunchtime a few days a week.
I'm not great at the moment but I do walk 3 miles home from work a couple of times a week, though that's mainly to avoid public transport.
Echoing Birdie below, try to cut down sugar and other fast carbs (including alcohol). I must admit I'm a sucker for sugar so I'm not one to talk. Unicorn will be able to tell you about my taste for 'tea-flavoured syrup'.
I suspect you know what you need to do but find everything overwhelming. Just change one thing at a time, and if the next change is too much, bring it back and try something else. Try making one change a month maybe? I would say save your money on supplements for now, and just try to make small incremental changes to a healthier lifestyle.
Incidentally, has your wife been checked over by the doctor?
I've just done 5 months off the drink and while I won't pretend it was easy, it wasn't that bad at all. The main difficulty was social occasions where we weren't the couples with kids who left early, or the younger crowd getting wrecked. Though it did make me wonder whether I was just drinking to fit in.
You'll see other benefits too like improved sleep (will also help with sperm quality) and better mental health. Also, you'll have a bunch more cash to spend on whatever you like, or save towards the baby fund.
Have you tried an electronic cigarette? I couldn't find any hard findings on whether it's nicotine specifically, or smoking in general (with all the additional nasties) that affects sperm quality. Also saves a HUGE amount of money if you stop smoking ready-made fags.
I switched completely in just three days btw. I wasn't expecting it to be as satisfying but it is.
Weight-wise, rather than aerobic exercise like running, cycling or stuff that sounds like hard work to me, have you considered weights or similar? Don't need to go to a gym or go mad with exercise at first, just build it up. Add 1 press-up a day kind of thing. I think you might be surprised how quickly your body changes shape with weight training, even small weights. I'd reckon you will see some change in less than a month if you exercise twice a week.
Or just go for a short walk after work or lunchtime a few days a week.
I'm not great at the moment but I do walk 3 miles home from work a couple of times a week, though that's mainly to avoid public transport.
Echoing Birdie below, try to cut down sugar and other fast carbs (including alcohol). I must admit I'm a sucker for sugar so I'm not one to talk. Unicorn will be able to tell you about my taste for 'tea-flavoured syrup'.
I suspect you know what you need to do but find everything overwhelming. Just change one thing at a time, and if the next change is too much, bring it back and try something else. Try making one change a month maybe? I would say save your money on supplements for now, and just try to make small incremental changes to a healthier lifestyle.
Incidentally, has your wife been checked over by the doctor?
Hi Mrunicorn, Thanks for your help. I've just had another look at my test sheet, which took place April last year; I've got 2.2 ml volume when they wanted at least 1.5ml, concentration is 52000000 they wanted at least 15000000, progressive motility is 2% they wanted at least 32%, total motility was 4% and they wanted at least 40%, morphology was 8% and they wanted at least 4%, sperm count was 114.4 million and they wanted 39 million at least, my leucocyte count was 1 million and they wanted less than 1 million so not too sure about that, my agglutination was 0 and they wanted less than 50%, and my ph was 7.6 and normal is between 7.2 and 8 apparently. Overall some areas I didn't do bad in but my motility is terrible and morphology could probably do with being a bit better.
I'm out most days walking my dog for 4 miles up and down hills, getting out of breath so exercise isn't too much of a problem I just eat too much crap. We've cut out full fat sugary drinks and only really have diet or flavoured water in the house, I don't tend to have hot drinks often so don't miss the sugar there. At first when we switched the drinks I had terrible headaches for days from going cold turkey on the sugar. Also with the smoking we've just had friends bring us a load back from abroad but as soon as they're finished I'm going to pack in or move to an ecig. Don't go out drinking much unless it's a special occasion as we're pretty poor from saving for holidays, but even when we do I think I'll stick to the soft drinks for the foreseeable future.
When I went for my tests they said my results were bad and asked me to not smoke and drink for a month then go back, which I did and the results I just read out were from the 2nd test. I know that it takes 3 months to make any noticilbe difference so I don't know why they insisted on 3 months. I think with regards to retesting they pretty much said in order to go further they wanted us both to lose weight, the wife especially as they wont do any testing on her until she's the right bmi. Her parents and grandparents both struggled but my parents only had to do it once and they conceived, my dad smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish too so bit gutted we haven't been that lucky. I think when we go back to the gps we will ask to see a different dr because the last one was very rude and didn't have a great bedside manner, went into a real depression when we first found out and had to see a therapist, my hair was falling out and I was stressed out. Got that all under control now though and trying to be calmer, my hair has mostly grown back so feeling much better. Feeling really positive about things lately, just trying to keep it up. Got more than one incentive to loose weight too as we're going to orlando next spring so need to improve my figure a bit or I might not fit on the rides
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Have you been for any retests at all? I hope all your hard work helps towards your morphology
I'm out most days walking my dog for 4 miles up and down hills, getting out of breath so exercise isn't too much of a problem I just eat too much crap. We've cut out full fat sugary drinks and only really have diet or flavoured water in the house, I don't tend to have hot drinks often so don't miss the sugar there. At first when we switched the drinks I had terrible headaches for days from going cold turkey on the sugar. Also with the smoking we've just had friends bring us a load back from abroad but as soon as they're finished I'm going to pack in or move to an ecig. Don't go out drinking much unless it's a special occasion as we're pretty poor from saving for holidays, but even when we do I think I'll stick to the soft drinks for the foreseeable future.
When I went for my tests they said my results were bad and asked me to not smoke and drink for a month then go back, which I did and the results I just read out were from the 2nd test. I know that it takes 3 months to make any noticilbe difference so I don't know why they insisted on 3 months. I think with regards to retesting they pretty much said in order to go further they wanted us both to lose weight, the wife especially as they wont do any testing on her until she's the right bmi. Her parents and grandparents both struggled but my parents only had to do it once and they conceived, my dad smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish too so bit gutted we haven't been that lucky. I think when we go back to the gps we will ask to see a different dr because the last one was very rude and didn't have a great bedside manner, went into a real depression when we first found out and had to see a therapist, my hair was falling out and I was stressed out. Got that all under control now though and trying to be calmer, my hair has mostly grown back so feeling much better. Feeling really positive about things lately, just trying to keep it up. Got more than one incentive to loose weight too as we're going to orlando next spring so need to improve my figure a bit or I might not fit on the rides
. Have you been for any retests at all? I hope all your hard work helps towards your morphology
kittykitchn
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Your results sound similar to my husbands if I remember correctly. He's been told again and again that results are fine - in fact, the high sperm count even the bad/good sperm out. Personally, I don't believe this.
My gp pretty much told me it was hopeless for me, said there was nothing that I could do or take to improve my situation. He said our only option would be IVF but said we need to lose weight before we could even discuss it further. I've since done my own research and realised what he said is a load of old rubbish. There's plenty that can be done and from listening to other people things do change. I've even got friends who have been down the ivf route and were unsuccessful then told they'd got no chance and out of nowhere they got pregnant and now have a beautiful baby. Hope we all get that lucky one day
MrUnicorn
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Well, I don't know about your specific situation but there are lots of known factors that reduce motility and you tick a few of them though. Surely any improvement would be worthwhile? It only takes the one...
You do sound like you're making good efforts in the right direction though.
Incidentally, I've just been reading up about blood sugar and nicotine for myself, and smoking/nicotine sends it all over the place. I'm tempted to stop and see if it sorts out my sugar cravings and concentration problems.
You do sound like you're making good efforts in the right direction though.
Incidentally, I've just been reading up about blood sugar and nicotine for myself, and smoking/nicotine sends it all over the place. I'm tempted to stop and see if it sorts out my sugar cravings and concentration problems.
Yeah I know there's loads of things I can work on, weight first of all, all ready cut out caffeine and alcohol to a minimum, next will be the fags ��.
How long have you been trying for if you don't mind me asking? We've been tying for just over 2 years now, wife used to do all her timing and all sorts but a bit more relaxed now as don't really feel like it's going to happen. Also where we live we'll only get one free to at ivf then we'll have to pay for anymore ourselves. Think there's only 3 counties in the entire country that won't give you three free goes so sucks really
.
Hope everyone has a nice weekend
How long have you been trying for if you don't mind me asking? We've been tying for just over 2 years now, wife used to do all her timing and all sorts but a bit more relaxed now as don't really feel like it's going to happen. Also where we live we'll only get one free to at ivf then we'll have to pay for anymore ourselves. Think there's only 3 counties in the entire country that won't give you three free goes so sucks really
.Hope everyone has a nice weekend
