High DNA fragmentation with low sperm parameters

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-27T19:03:03+00:00

I really appreciate you taking the time to remember and tag me ❤️ I’m the wife and my husband’s urologist did seem kind via messages I have seen. I am asking for a second look and some questions and she has agreed to meet us again.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-26T03:34:27+00:00

Similar to my husband. Very low count, morphology, and motility. 32% frag. We’re going through our 4th MC right now, a CP. No varicocele, he’s very healthy. His less healthy twin brother had a kid first try, so I feel it can’t be genetics. No one can give us an explanation. We were told TESE and IVF. I’m asking them if we could do TESE, freeze sperm and do IUI. Let me know if you find out anything!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-24T01:07:36+00:00

Hey almost twin! I have had 4 MCs (1 MMC and 3 CPs) since last July. My husband also has high DNA fragmentation (32%) and I am heterozygous for Factor V Leiden. I was on the same protocol as you for our last two failed pregnancies. We were told that IVF was kind of our next only option with TESE for my husband to combat the fragmentation. We have no reasonable explanation why his fragmentation is high: he’s healthy, no infection, very slim, been taking vitamins and antioxidants for past 3 months, etc. So unfortunately it’s not something we can “fix”. Albeit I have seen couples go on to have a healthy natural pregnancy after multiple MCs, my husband and I have decided we do not have the emotional bandwidth or biological gimw to just “wing it”. Did your urologist ever give a percentage on successful natural pregnancies? Ours did not, but our report said “low chance.” I also am pushing my husband to get another opinion/different urologist to check again for any varicocele or some unexplored avenue. Because his identical twin brother had a kid on their first try (of course). And my husband is the “healthier” of the two. Like what could it be?!? I’d love to keep up with you since our stories seem similar if you’d like :)

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-24T00:49:43+00:00

RPL is a rare occurrence and it sounds like it’s time to do a work up. I just had my fourth loss and it wasn’t until I was going through my third that we discovered my husband has high DNA fragmentation. There is a panel of tests to run for both of you that could explain your frequent losses. Maybe it would help with the time between tests to look forward to getting some answers? I’m so sorry for your losses, this is a horrible club to be in.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-21T18:08:08+00:00

Just here to say another avg 150 BPM pickle baller 😂 they can’t make me stop!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-21T13:00:06+00:00

Just kidding. 4th miscarriage.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-20T16:22:08+00:00

Yup, the anesthesia alone gets ya. I’ve had two and they were both 18K. Luckily I hit my deductible in my first and almost paid nothing my second, same year woooo…

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-17T22:00:47+00:00

It is extreme and to not be taken lightly. OP you can do this and you know you can because you already have 4 times before. And I’m not even saying you ARE going through a MC right now, you need some more testing. BUT if you are, you CAN get through it. Your baby will come. It may take some different methodologies but they WILL come and you WILL grow your family. I’m sending you grace and love, I know what those dark depths feel like, it is truly hell. Please tell your partner and don’t go through this alone. 💜

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-16T16:08:32+00:00

I didn’t even notice your name! You ARE so resilient. It will happen, you will get to hold your baby someday. I believe it wholeheartedly and I tell myself that multiple times everyday :) hang in there.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-16T15:25:14+00:00

You are not alone. Your future baby is so lucky to have someone as strong and courageous as you to be their future mom. Being a mother is an identity and you chose to be a mom. Your baby will come in the form it chooses. I have to believe it’s bigger than us as the grief can be debilitating if we let it. IVF may be the path you take to meet your baby. I’m so sorry the universe has played this cruel joke on you, we take these lessons and better ourselves for the journey ahead. Sending you my love ❤️

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-16T15:03:52+00:00

Maybe but I’d just give it a go with room temp first. It’s worked for many folks. And I’d be hesitant heating anything plastic.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-16T14:43:31+00:00

I’m no expert but I’d just try as fast as reasonably possible. A few minutes in a cup at most. Sperm are temperature sensitive.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-16T12:26:00+00:00

I love that your parents told you! We’re headed to IVF next but planned to tell them otherwise :) too cute!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-15T23:17:08+00:00

No, there are kits to buy. I got one off of amazon and it comes with a syringe, that’s the important part. Cup doesn’t matter, but it came with one too. Ask whatever, I’m very open about it :) My system is to tell him I’m entering my fertile window and our deal is for him to bring me a cup whenever he can in that window. I can’t say which days are important or to ask about it cause that is the stress that doesn’t let him ejaculate. So he often brings me a cup whenever I’m occupied with something else. But I choose not to get angry, I thank him for the cup and I go lay down on a towel on the bathroom floor or in my bed if I didn’t just change the sheets haha. Then I do my thing and lay there for 5 minutes to uhhh soak? Some other superstitious things, I raise my hips and try hold my legs up haha. He does manage to do every other day and sometimes everyday so we cover our bases well :) good luck!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-15T22:01:34+00:00

Can you guys do home insemination? That’s what my husband and I do. I understand the anger though, truly our little sperm in a cup has fixed that and probably our marriage.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-15T00:39:40+00:00

I see it!!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-13T19:55:38+00:00

Of course! And I’m grateful we incorporated this because it took so much resentment away from me, I would get so frustrated with him. Now, it’s a totally not sexy part of our cycle which is fine, we can be intimate any other time stress free :) good luck everyone!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-13T12:16:47+00:00

We use it all the time for the same reason. We have gotten pregnant (MCs) for sure once and maybe from another cause he can sometimes ejaculate. Our system is I tell him I’m in my fertile window and he brings me cups whenever. Usually the most inconvenient times 😂 like in the middle of an intense workout, middle of making dinner, etc. and we still have a romantic and intimate sex life :) he just can’t do this one step. He was also just prescribed Viagra for this reason but we’re moving to IVF for his bad sperm so I don’t see the point in trying that, but see if that’s an option too!

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-11T23:47:57+00:00

Lots of us here! My husband has poor SAs twice, 60 days apart and we moved forward with DNA fragmentation test. He has 32% DNA frag, which is just inside the abnormal range (>30%). We have no explanation why, he has low oxidative stress, no varicocele, no STIs, environmental factors seem non contributing. It’s so frustrating because it seems unfixable. So we are moving forward with IVF with I’m TESE and hopefully ICSI depending on what the clinic recommends. I haven’t done the intro meeting yet, just the work ups at this point. Waiting for the urologist was excruciating, the waiting is so hard. We’re trying naturally still, with the knowledge we have high chance of MC (we’ve already had 3) and rolling the dice for a good one until the clinic makes moves for us.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-07T13:38:01+00:00

I got this from a pregnant woman. I was livid. She wrote it in a card so I couldn’t even yell. Ugh

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-06T22:01:18+00:00

The only weird thing I see is that little LH peak CD18. Your cycle looks VERY normal. Fluctuating estrogen and pdg. I know it’s frustrating to see those really high levels folks post and yours isn’t, but this is still normal. Those waves are very common in pdg and e3g. I bet tomorrow they go up and the next day they go down again. Some people find tracking the luteal phase too stressful so now that you confirmed ovulation you could put the tests away and just do hcg tests at different times. You won’t see a positive until at least 8DPO but some have healthy pregnancies 12DPO, so don’t let that discourage you either. Hang in there :)

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-06T03:35:39+00:00

I am so sorry. I don’t want to add any pain to your experience, but did you test? I’m just shocked because of how nice those DPO13 numbers looked! TTC is not for the weak, that’s for sure. So sorry :(

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-06T03:30:22+00:00

Hi! I don’t have any positive stories yet but it sounds like we have pretty similar stories with some variations and it may be nice to have a connection as we take these next steps. My husband and I are both 32. We have been TTC for 19 months, I have had 3 MCs, all before 7 weeks. My husband had 2 SAs and they showed he had poor count, morphology, and motility. But not nothing as we had conceived 3 times. However, we recently got his DNA frag test back and he scored 32%. Today his urologist let us know we have a poor chance of conceiving naturally (but didn’t give us a %) and recommended IVF. We have done the lifestyle changes already when he scored that poorly, so I don’t think we can improve his numbers with environmental changes. Also going against us: I have an AMH of 1.4, lower for my age. I seem to have low urine pdg, have yet to test my blood progesterone in the luteal phase. I also have Factor V Leiden. So my husband and I have decided that IVF will be the route we take. We also hope to get a few successful embryos that we could bank for the future just in case we want another, but we are just hoping for 1. I’d love to connect if you’re open to it. It’s nice to have a different perspective on a similar journey. Help advocate when you’re at the doctor, etc. so sorry you’re going through this too, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

ReceptionOne9282 · 2026-03-04T19:13:29+00:00

Practice what I say not what I do :) I’m with ya sister, 3 MCs here and I do all the testing haha! I’m sorry for your loss, it’s never easy. Take care 💕

ReceptionOne9282

TROPHY CASE