Hi everyone...my husband and I went in for an IUI this morning and were very disappointed to find that his SC was only 400,000 down from 40 MILLION from his initial S/A!!! I don't know what to do at this point...I am so disappointed and sad, but I knew if I posted here, someone else would have advice or a different point of view to help us out. I have PCOS and just finished a round of Femara. My RE said that my body responded beautifully to the medication and he was very impressed with my follicle sizes and lining. It's just very disappointing for me to be "ready" and then not be able to do the procedure. I told my DH that I know it isn't his fault, but that I am allowed to feel disappointed. He understands and is sad as well...I just feel like we're back at square one again because now he has to have another S/A and then go back to the Urologist...so aggrevating. Well thanks for letting me vent!

Shannon I am so sorry to read about your news! I'm answering for my wife today. We have our IUI scheduled for next sunday (depending on how my wife's follicles look). I am dealing with male factor too and I feel so much sympathy for you and your husband. Since the initial S/A we have been on a rollercoaster. My counts have gone from 27 to 44 million with a corresponding increase in motility from 26 to 59 percent. A drop in numbers is one of the many things that we worry about. Was your DH on any vitamin or hormone therapy?

Thanks for the response! No, my DH isn't on any vitamins or therapy or anything at this point...however we are off to do another S/A and possibly back to the urologist as well. They think that his scrotum is too close to his body so the sperm aren't being produced correctly because it's too hot. So he has to lose weight they say, but sometimes I look at these guys that weigh 450 pounds (my DH is 6'5" 350lbs.) who have like 5 kids and I wonder, why??? So aggrevating! Of course we'll do whatever we need to do! I just really want to stay away from IVF as long as possible....thanks again for the response!

I am sorry! SAs can vary from month to month, depending on the temperature, any illnesses, etc. My DH has low count but it is helped by taking clomid. However, even on clomid, one month he had a low count because he had been really sick for 2 weeks. There are so many factors. I hope you get some answers!

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Well I was wondering if any of you had any advice as to vitamins etc. that maybe he could take to make the count go up? Also, he has been sick for the past 2 weeks with a cold, so possibly that could have had a lot to do with it. I never knew that...thanks so much!

Hi,
I'm a lurker on this board but we are dealing with male factor too. I've read that zinc helps to improve motility and count. Also, I agree that s/a results are always changing. Dh went from 4% motility on this first s/a to 40% on the second. From what dh's urologist has said, it take 3 months for new sperm to produce. So if he was sick in the last 3 months that maybe a factor. I have PCOS also and we got our first bfp yesterday! I was taking brand name Clomid on CD3-7. There is hope!

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Well on your !!!!!! That is so awesome! Be sure to keep us posted on your !!! I know there is hope...I haven't lost that and won't...it's just very easy to get frustrated and wanna feel like ...lol.

So how far along are you? How long have you been ttc?

My DH takes clomid, not vitamins. But there are supposed to be a lot of vitamins out there that can help. However, the above poster is right because it would take another 70-90 days for him to produce a fresh sperm sample.

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I know how you feel. I was devasted when I heard the news about dh because my ob/gyn told me the only option was AI. We have been trying to ttc for about a year and 6 months medically. I don't know exactly how far along I am but I think probably about 4 weeks(I should find that out soon). Anyway, want to hear my story??? Dh has varicocele veins and was scheduled for surgery for this on May 23rd (CD15) so I had no hope of getting pg this cycle. I decided to go ahead with my second round of clomid to see if I ovulated this time because I didn't the first cycle. Kind of like a test cycle. Well, I went in on CD11 for a sonogram and I had ZERO follies so the nurse told me not to even both to ttc so it was confirmed this cycle was shot. Well dh and I only bd'd once this cycle on CD13 or CD 14 (I can't remember what day). Then dh went into surgery so that was it..no more bd'ng going on here so I had NO hope. I decided to temp on CD21 and it showed I O'd but I don't know exactly what day. Can you believe it! Wow! Now I'm preggo!!

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Thank you very much for sharing your story with me. It really is uplifting honestly to see that miracles do happen everyday! We decided that we would just BD like normal after my HCG shot on Saturday, so on Sunday and Monday we BD'd and now my abdomen feels really weird...bloated, crampy and like I have done sit ups when I haven't...and I have not been feeling well at all. I worked a 1/2 day on Monday and took yesterday off because that's how I feel...off. So maybe I'm ...who knows? Stranger things have happened! Congrats on your ...that is so awesome! You really have given me hope!

Hello there all! I am new to these boreds, so please forgive me for not knowing everybody's history/story. Also, I am sorry to post in this thread so late.
One hot shower or spa can kill all his sperm, and therefore make a man have little to no counts until he can make a fresh batch in 73 days. Antioxidants can also help with motility, and eating a lot of red meat can increase the counts. As someone else mentioned, SA's vary widely. They are mearly a snapshot of what is going on. Dehydration, sickness, heat, lack of a proper diet, etc...these can all affect his numbers.