Hi, DH has very low counts. Our RE recommended freezing up to three samples so that on the day of egg retrieval there will be enough sperm. He has had up to 100,000 per ml before but this last analysis there were only two in the field they were looking at. One motile, one non-motile.
My question is: will the person looking at the sample for cryo count the sperm before freezing, and how will they know that a count of 25,000 to 100,000 is a good count for my DH? I wouldn't want them to throw out those samples but on the other hand wouldn't want them to freeze a sample containing just a couple sperm either!! I know freezing can kill up to half the sperm so I'm very anxious. DH has morpholgy problems also.
A sample should be examined before freezing. If it's very poor, then the lab techs would tell the physician and it would be his call regarding potential disposal, and he'd inform the patient. The lab tech would not decide on her own. If the samples were inadequate, more would be requested. The patient would know about it. Sperm freezing is pretty reliable. I've never heard of a case at our clinic where a thawed sample was inadequate for the fertilization when needed. We've frozen eggs (a rare event) when the male partner refused or was unable to provide a sample, but never for a failed sperm thaw that I have known about. I think it's pretty rare.
There's no way I could answer your last question. Your clinic has given you their estimate. If they prove to be wrong, they will let you know.