1 year later

Just wanted to post a short update, its now just over a year since i got my first test results, and last week my wife gave birth to my beautiful healthy son after carrying him to full term.

The results of the second test revealed an uptick in almost all parameters apart from head morphology, which remained at zero percent (I'll get a printout of the results next time i go docs and upload it here, i just haven't had a reason to visit yet!)

Although the head morphology remained unchanged for the second test, the fact that we got pregnant after just 6 months of the healthy regimen (after 18 months without success) suggests to me that perhaps there is more going on with teratozoospermia than science currently understands (when you consider sperm takes 3 months to fully mature, it could be argued that it actually only took us 3 months on the healthy regimen to achieve pregnancy - that's pretty speedy!)

In short, i don't believe head morphology is as important as many would have you believe, especially not if the other sperm parameters (like volume & motility) are strong, and your overall wellbeing is healthy.

This link is a particularly encouraging read for anyone who finds themselves in a similar position to me, its a small study, but it summarises;

When all pregnancies were analyzed together, men with 0% Normal Forms achieved twenty pregnancies of which 75% did not require IVF (controls = thirty pregnancies; 76.7% did not require IVF)

The study concludes;

Morphology does not indicate anything with regard to the genetic composition of the spermatozoa or the fertilization potential. Given the controversy surrounding morphology, clinicians are left to ponder what to discuss with men who present to their clinics with poor morphology

Interestingly, men with 0% NF had worse overall semen analyses compared to control men (Table 1). The finding that these men overcame such an overall “disadvantage” to experience high rates of fertilization and live birth success makes an even stronger argument against the routine use of strict morphology in counseling patients.

In summary, men with a complete absence of NF (0%) on strict morphology exhibit high rates of success without IVF. As such, strict morphology should not be used to predict fertilization, pregnancy, or live birth potential. In men with 0% NF, alternative modalities should be considered before immediate IVF.

In my humble on opinion, science is still trying to define what a 'normal form' truly is, and i believe a persons overall health and wellbeing towers above all other parameters when it comes to successful fertilisation.

To anyone that stumbles across this blog in the future due to a poor test result, don't lose hope because one clinician looked at just 100 of your sperm from a limited sample and concluded their strict criteria wasn't met. There is mounting evidence that morphology is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to achieving pregnancy.

I hope you find something on this blog that helps, it worked for me. If you're looking for further support i'd recommend visiting fertilityfriends, as there is a treasure trove of useful information on there from others who have been through the same journey as me.

Best of luck, and most importantly, stay healthy and have fun :)