Sperm morphology

Morphology descibes the shape of the sperm and assesses what percentage is apparently normal. Opinion is divided about the value of morphology tests, mainly because the methods used to assess morphology differ between labs. Plus, not all labs use the same reference ranges to report the results, which makes interpretation very difficult. Current best practice guidelines show that the majority of sperm in a healthy fertile man are in fact abnormally shaped - probably up to 96%. The important question to ask is what does having abnormal sperm mean. It is thought that abnormal sperm may be less able to move properly and are less able to bind to the egg.

However, the effect of sperm morphology must be interpreted in the light of the other parameters too. If you have a very low number of normal sperm but a high count and high motility, there is still a good chance that a reasonable number of normal sperm will reach the egg. Alternatively, if the count and motility are low, it is likely to take a lot longer to get pregnant. As you might imagine, this can be very valuable information to know, as in these cases you may be advised not only to move on straight to assisted fertility treatment but to go for ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) in order to ensure that what effective sperm your partner has reaches and penetrates the egg.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to improve morphology by making changes to your lifestyle though, in some situations, it can be worth a try, particularly if you have time on your side.