38M, just barely starting my journey with my wife (37F). I had some preliminary testing done in February, with some follow-ups in June, and my numbers are...not great:

Parameter	February	June
Total Motile Count	4 million	10.5 million
Sample Volume	5.55 ml	6 ml
Concentration	4 million/ml	4.6 million/ml
Motility	18%	38%
Morphology	No Result	2%

Concerned by these numbers, my wife and I also attended a seminar in which her AMH was tested...and came back at 0.88. Obviously, not a great number, either.

I feel like we are in a simply terrible spot, and I feel like I am failing her. We will have our first conversation with a fertility clinic towards the end of July, and I am just dreading the conversation.

I should probably be asking a question here, so here goes...is this as dire of a situation as it seems? Or am I misinterpreting these numbers?

Wanted to share a data point for anyone else navigating late maturation arrest, and azoospermia/cryptozoospermia more generally.

Quick timeline:

• Two SAs in early 2025: single-digit immotile sperm both times
• August 2025: TESA — found one amorphous sperm. Histology showed late MA/HS
• September/November 2025: started FSH (Gonal-F 225 IU 3x/week) and hCG (Ovitrelle, three clicks once a week, so very low dose)
• Jan 2026: started isotretinoin 10mg
• Nov, Dec, and April: three consecutive 0-count SAs
• Mid-April 2026: escalated isotretinoin to 20mg
• Today: SA post-centrifugation showed <10 motile sperm — first time motile sperm has shown up at all.

Normogonadotropic baseline, and normal genetic results. Eliminated all alcohol in mid 2025, trying to avoid ultraprocessed foods and eat healthy, and focusing on sleep and managing stress. Also on a range of supplements (COQ10, l-Carnitine, omega 3, multivitamins, zinc, magnesium, ashwagandha, maca root, n-acetylcysteine, arginine, creatine, boron, selenium)

No way of knowing if it was the isotretinoin specifically, or something else, but the timing lines up quite well. Will continue doing SAs to see if this holds, or even improves further. Happy to share more if useful to anyone else here.

Hi everyone,

I (32M) recently had my first semen analysis and the results came back much worse than I expected.

Semen analysis
Volume: 4.2 mL
Concentration: 1.2 million/mL
Total sperm count: 5.04 million
Total motility: 33%
Progressive motility: 33%
Morphology: Not assessed (lab said the concentration was too low)

From everything I’ve read this seems to be severe oligozoospermia, but not azoospermia as sperm are present.

Supplement Stack:

Ubiquinol (CoQ10)
Brand: Zita West Kaneka Ubiquinol
Dose: 300 mg/day

Omega-3 + Vitamin D3
Brand: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega 2X with Vitamin D3
Dose: 2 softgels/day (≈2.15 g total omega-3s)

L-Carnitine
Brand: NOW Foods
Dose: 2,000 mg/day

Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Brand: NOW Foods
Dose: 1,000 mg/day

NAC
Brand: NOW Foods
Dose: 600 mg/day

Zinc
Brand: Solgar Zinc Picolinate
Dose: 22 mg/day

Selenium
Brand: Solgar L-Selenomethionine
Dose: 200 mcg/day

Any thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,
I’m a 30-year-old Filipino male diagnosed with OAT. I had a varicocelectomy 3 months ago and just repeated my semen analysis. Unfortunately, my sperm count, motility, and morphology are still very low, with only minimal improvement.
My wife is 28, and we’ve been trying since 2018. We conceived naturally once in 2024, but it ended in a blighted ovum. I’m mainly looking for male experiences after varicocele surgery.
If you had OAT and a varicocelectomy:
Were your semen parameters still poor at 3 months?
When did you notice the biggest improvement—6 months, 9 months, or 12 months?
Did you eventually conceive naturally or need IUI/IVF?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I recently had a semen analysis done, and the report says teratozoospermia because my morphology is 1% (WHO strict criteria).

The rest of my results seem okay:
Concentration: 38 million/mL
Total motility: 52%
Progressive motility: 37%
Morphology: 1%
Head defects: 74%
Neck defects: 14%
Tail defects: 11%

The report also noted:
Pus cells: 2–3/HPF
Agglutination: Present
Aggregation: Present

My biggest concern is the 1% morphology. I’ve read that morphology alone doesn’t always predict fertility, but seeing teratozoospermia on the report has me worried.

Has anyone here had similar results? Did you find an underlying cause like a varicocele or infection? Were you able to improve your morphology or were you still able to conceive naturally or with treatment?

I’m waiting to see a fertility specialist, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar situation. Thanks!

Me, M33 and my wife F26 were trying to have a baby for 2 years now, about 6 month ago we started visiting a fertility clinic, and about 3 months ago I was diagnosed with Oligoasthenozoospermia, my spermiogram results were 18 million (ref. >39), and 11,11% motile(ref.>30) while her results were all good, and we were said by the doctors that in 3 months i would have to make another spermiogram while living healthier, stopped smoking and less drinkinking alcohol, only to see if we could go insemination if my results went up, or to go IVF.

So i found this reddit. 3 months ago, the day i got the spermiogram results i stopped smoking and started drinking less(3 beers, 2 times a week maybe), started going to gym 3 or 4 times a week lifting heavy taking creatine and protein powders, started eating healthier, almost no carbs... in that 3 month i lost about 5 kilograms of fat.

I started taking supplements too, which i found on this sub: L-Carnitine, ashwagandha, K2+D3, Q10, all of them 2 times a day, and capsules available in europe called FertilUp which have most of those in them plus some more.

Yesterday my wifes cycle was late for about 10 days so she made a pregnancy test which showed a + with 2-3 weeks pregnant. In my opinion the most important thing is to take a rest and not to overthink, it can happen naturally, when we conceived we were on a one week vacation.

Take your better half somewhere nice, rest, be with each other and it will happen! Im so happy we didnt have to go to IVF or any other procedure as it happened naturally, have hope my men and much thanks to this sub!

Im open to any questions amd sorry for my maybe bad english.

Curious about Letrozole and if it worked for mens fertility issues. I have low volume and low morphology. wanted to hear if this was helpful in anyway, or what doctors typically recommend for something like this. My urologist has been 0 help on giving any recommendations. Have started increasing my CoQ10, and working out more.

I was just diagnosed with;

<3.0 motile sperm concentration
<2.0 progressively motile sperm concentration
8.0 m/mol concentration
<1% motility
<1% progressively motility

Is it safe to say I’m cooked? The nurse said “those are pretty low”. So I’m assuming I’ll need meds etc if I want to conceive?

- I’ve had 3 post ejaculation urinalysis done and the results don’t fit the criteria for retrograde ejaculation.
- Transrectal ultrasound did not show any blockages.
- Semen Analysis has consistently shown 0.6ml volume.
Sperm concentration is 57 and count is 41. PH is 6.7 (slightly acidic in all tests so far) and motality is 17 in the recent most test.
- My hormones are all normal.
- Did a Prostate antigen test, also normal (I’m 33, otherwise healthy individual).
- I do not have diabetes and I’ve never had surgery.
- Never had this issue before, it was a sudden onset during H pylori treatment (doctors say antibiotics do not cause this and could be unrelated or coincidental).
- I noticed it last year during H Pylori (quadruple treatment, which is basically antibiotics for 2 weeks) and since then the volume has reduced significantly in a year.
- very confused ( Fertility doctors are confused as well)

Anybody had a similar situation? Any suggestions?

I’m looking for advice from people who have gone through treatment for a varicocele while trying to improve fertility.

I have a **grade 2 varicocele** on one side, and my semen analyses have varied quite a bit:

**Test 1:** 14 million/mL concentration, 1.5 mL volume, 59% motility, 43% progressive motility.

**Test 2:** 51 million/mL concentration, 3.6 mL volume, 53% motility, 34% progressive motility, 97.3 million total motile sperm.

**Most recent:** 6 million/mL concentration, 2.9 mL volume, 49% motility, 36% progressive motility, 8.53 million total motile sperm.

I’m trying to decide between **microsurgical varicocelectomy** and **embolization** and would really appreciate hearing from people who have been in a similar situation or just general advice.

Thanks in advance for sharing

Hi everyone, following up on my previous intro, I wanted to share a bit more about how my journey unexpectedly started.

When my wife and I first struggled to conceive, I naturally assumed it was her issue. Then one day, after a heated argument about our fertility struggles, I went to a local clinic out of pure frustration just to get tested. That’s when the doctor looked at me with a dead serious face and said, "There’s almost nothing visible here." They immediately referred me to a major university hospital. It was a complete reality check.

In South Korea, luckily, the medical system is very accessible. You can pretty much walk into a nearby urologist and get a semen analysis right away. They put you in a small, private room equipped with a monitor and a headset, and you get the results very quickly.

Over the years, I’ve experienced almost everything—from varicocele surgery, chromosome testing, and hormone injections, to Korean traditional herbal medicine and acupuncture.

I know how deeply isolating and exhausting this fight can be for a man. I genuinely want to share my experiences and be of some help or comfort to anyone who is currently struggling in this community. Please feel free to ask me anything. Hang in there, brothers.

How long did it take after starting hCG alongside TRT before you noticed any improvement in sperm quality?
I’m currently using **3,000 IU of hCG per week** without **hMG**.

Male, 30. I have Grade 3 (right) and Grade 4 (left) varicocele, DFI 46%, and 1% morphology. We've had multiple failed IVF attempts

My IVF doctor recommends skipping varicocele surgery and proceeding with ICSI + PGT-A instead.

Has anyone with a similar case chosen PGT-A over varicocele surgery? What were your results? I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences.

Hi all,

I had microsurgical varicocelectomy with testicle delivery about 6 months ago. I recently repeated my SA, but unfortunately my sperm parameters have not improved at all.

For those who have been through this: is there still a realistic chance of improvement at the 9-month or 12-month mark, or does no improvement at 6 months usually suggest the surgery may not have worked?

Some extra context:

• I tried several fertility supplements over the last year.
• I also did FSH injections for 3 months before surgery and continued for another 3 months after surgery.
• I had a follow-up ultrasound yesterday. Everything was clear, with no signs of recurrence.
• The only finding was a small hydrocele on the left testicle.
• Testicle size was normal before surgery and remains normal now.

Recent hormone labs:

PRL: 11.23 ng/mL
LH: 3.02 mIU/mL
FSH: 4.22 mIU/mL
E2: 37.42 pg/mL
DHEA-S: 311.8 µg/dL
LH/FSH ratio: 0.87

Has anyone seen improvement only after 9 or 12 months, even with no change at 6 months?

Throwaway, but just wanted to share this since there isn't a lot of information out there on the web.

Our background: diagnosed with non obstructive azoospermia 3 years ago. Zero sperm in 2 samples, no genetic markers found. Did two mTESE retrieval surgeries:

1. 15 found, 4 twitching, 2 low quality embryos, neither took.
2. 4 found, 2 twitching, neither survived to day 3.

After two unsuccessful attempts, we decided it wasn't worth the physical or emotional cost to continue.

We took a year off from trying to start a family to process/grieve. But then a few months ago we heard about STAR: basically it's a new technology that uses AI to find sperm from a sample, with a higher success rate than humans.

We flew to NY for the procedure (since it was only done at Columbia University). We went in without much hope, but we figured that especially compared to the surgeries, $3k wasn't a lot to pay to be able to say that we really tried everything.

They found 220 sperm! I couldn't believe it, we were just dumbfounded. Weeks later I think it's still sinking in. We still know nothing about the quality of the sperm yet, but we're tentatively hopeful. Will report back on a few months on how it goes.

Hi everyone, first time posting here. My own journey with MFI started about a decade ago, back in 2014. I recently felt like looking back and sharing a bit of my story.

To be honest, in the beginning, I just assumed the issue was with my wife. Out of frustration, I went to get tested, only to be told they suspected azoospermia. It was a huge shock.

Later, I was diagnosed with a varicocele and got surgery, but it didn't really improve my numbers.

Looking back now, I realize I was just so ignorant back then. I didn't know anything. I just wanted to drop by, say hello, and remind anyone struggling right now that you're not alone.

I’m planning to start taking whey protein and creatine, but I’ve heard people claim they can cause infertility or negatively affect sperm quality.
Is this just a myth, or is there any scientific evidence that whey protein or creatine monohydrate, when taken at the recommended doses, can affect male fertility?
I’m **not** talking about anabolic steroids or hormone-based supplements—only regular whey protein and creatine.
I’d really appreciate evidence-based answers or experiences from people who have looked into the research.

Hello folks, I had given two sperm analysis tests within gap of 2 months. Both of them had

First Sample May8th Summary:
Gelatinous masses present in sample. Initial volume of sample was 1.8 ml with 0.6 ml of gelatinous masses.

Second Sample July1st Summary:
Gelatinous masses present in sample. Initial volume of sample was 1.4 ml with 0.65 ml of gelatinous masses.

I believe these masses are affecting motility and morphology badly. Did anyone experience this situation and what was the root cause ?

Semen Analysis Comparison

Parameter	Report 2	Report 1	Reference Value
Volume	1.2 mL (Low)	0.75 mL (Low)	≥ 1.4 mL
Concentration	102.9 (Normal)	95.7 (Normal)	≥ 16 M/mL
Motility	10% (Low)	8% (Low)	≥ 42%
Progressive Motility	4% (Low)	3% (Low)	≥ 30%
— Rapid Progressive	1%	1%	—
— Slow Progressive	3%	2%	—
Non-Progressive	6%	5%	—
Immotile	90%	92%	—
Normal Forms	1% (Low)	1% (Low)	≥ 4%
Motile Sperm Conc.	10.7 M/mL	7.5 M/mL	—
PR Motile Sperm Conc.	4.2 M/mL	3.3 M/mL	—
Sperm #	123.5 (Normal)	71.8 (Normal)	≥ 39 M/ejac
Motile Sperm #	12.8 M/ejac	5.6 M/ejac	—
Prog. Motile Sperm #	5.0 M/ejac	2.5 M/ejac	—
pH	8.5 (Normal)	8.5 (Normal)	≥ 7.2
WBC Concentration	< 1.0 (Normal)	< 1.0 (Normal)	< 1.0 M/mL
Debris Assessment	Few	Many	—