My DH and I are TTC our first. We have been since November 2006. I was on Clomid for 4 months and now my doctor wants me to stop since we got the S/A results on my DH.

It was basically: His numbers were too low to quantitate to do any testing. His volume was fine, but it was as if nothing was there. He wants him to see a urologist (which I have a good one since I was born due to kidney problems since birth). He is so nervous about going to the doctor. He is seriously the healthiest person ever!!!!

I want him to call the doctor on his time, and not pressure him. It was hard enough to tell him this. I so wanted it to be "me" with issues.

Doctor did mention azoospermia and retrograde ejaculation. I have researched, but want real answers.

Does anyone know about these things, what they do at urology, and how to fix it?????

__________________

Molli, I'm sorry to hear your DH's diagonsis. My DH also has Azoospermia. The thing to remember is there are 2 types. One can be a blockage and can be surgically fixed or at least they can go in behind the block to asperate the sperm which can be used for iui or ovf. The other type, as in our case, no present sperm due to irregular hormone production. We do hormone replacement for his health but will never be able to reverse the problem. We did however conceive our DD by iui using a donor. That is a decision that is best left up to him, as it seams you are doing. It's not easy for us girls to admit we could be at fault for not getting pg, but a man, he is to pass on his name and spread his seed...blah blah blah....it's a really hard fact for them to face. We got our diagnosis over 6 years ago and I don't know as DH will ever quite come to terms with it. It's like part of his manhood is missing. But that's anouther topic.

At his urology appt, he may have to do anouther SA to make sure the first one is correct. They will also check his prostate and testes and all the other "goodies" in there. I might add that you may not want to be present for that. Our dr just assumed I wanted to be in the room. DH was totally imasculated after having his prostate checked in front of me. I can tell you that there were 97 ceiling tiles in that room! They will also go over all of his hormone levels so more blood draws too. It's a pretty straight forward exam, I compare it to our regular "under the hood" check-up we get every year. But for the guys, it's kinda a big deal.

My advice is to stay away from all the "advice" you will find on the subject over the internet. It will list all kinds of crazy things that could be the cause. When we asked his actual dr, we were told that most of those things were very rare. I worried alot more than I should have.

If you have more detailed questions about this I am happy to answer, I've been on this road a long time and this is one of the most confusing male factors there is. I hope you are dealing with a blockage.

KUP!

__________________

Welcom Molly! I'm still learning alot on this board as I am kind of new to this board myself. Chrissy has more experience about this and I have learned alot from her and the other ladies on here as well. I will share my experience so far in hopes that it helps.

DH and I had been trying naturally since we got married in June 04 and knew something was not right fairly soon but since none of us had steady jobs or insurance at the time we had to just wait and continue trying on our own.

To make a long story short, DH ended up with extremely low count and is seeing a Urologist. So far he has had the dreaded prostate check, ultrasound (no varicocele found) and has been put on some medicine (like Clomid) to help with his testosterone. He has also had blood drawn to check his DNA and see if his problem is genetic in nature.

He has a follow up on Valentine's Day and will go from there.

I do have to say that my DH is taking things well and it has hit me harder but I have faith everything will work out for the best.

Hope your DH comes around soon but until then stick around here.

Hugs!

Molly!! I'm sorry you are here due to the cirucmstances.. but most of us have been through MF infertility or are in the process..

I too don't know much about what is going on with your DH but it sounds like Chrissy has a great grasp on what's going on...

As for us.. let me give you our situation.. We TTC for 6 years.. From September 2001 .. no birth control or preventative measures.. We thought for sure it would happen right away.. Afterall, I thought MY HUSBAND was the healthiest ever!! Well.. he still is, we just didn't expect this to happen to us..
Anyways, we continued to just try.. we got more serious as time went on.. nothing happening for us and everthing happening for everyone else..
After months of convincing, I finally talked him into a S/A (only because my friends husband was diganosed with male factor issues and I thought it was possible for my DH also.. otherwise i never would have thought of it) His S/A showed low count, poor morphology, poor motility.. but his count was still millions. It was just lower than normal.. I thought for sure atleast ONE of those little buggers would make it.. Boy was I WRONG!!
We tried and tried.. saw numerous doctors.. he was diagnosed with varicocele .. had that repaired.. it didn't help any ... No one else had any answers.. no direction to go.. we were lost!! and practically gave up!!
We moved to Alabama in 2006.. A doc came into the clinic I work in March 2007 and we got to talking about our issues and she told us of a great doc in the area that could help us.. She put in a referral for us and I first saw him in April 2007.. he basically told us IVF was our best option.. I was devistated.. how were we going to pay for IVF ?? (Oh I also have a blocked tube) We had to pay all out of pocket.. Not one penny from insurance.. it stunk!! But, we took a leap of faith and we were blessed.. Our first IVF cycle worked for us!! Our little miracle is due in a little over two weeks!!

I hope you find some answers.. Infertility is really stessful... Just know you aren't alone!! We're here for you!!
I never thought there would be a day that I could say.. "I'm pregnant and going to be a mommy!!"

It too will happen for you!! Don't give up! Good Luck and keep us posted!!

Renee

__________________

Molli -

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. There are great women on this board that can provide support & encouragement. We too were diagnosed with male-factor last summer. My husband's count is around 3 million, low morph, & low motility. He went to a urologist who did another SA & then did an x-ray. My husand had a slight variocele. We chose not to have it fixed & went straight to IVF. We are currently undergoing our first IVF cycle. They were able to fertilize 6 of my eggs & 5 of them fertilized with my husband's sperm after ICSI. I'll find out tomorrow how many of them survived in order to be transferred back in. I feel very grateful for the advances of technology & we are taking full advantage of them.

Good luck to you! I strongly encourage you to keep the communication open with your husband. It took us about 6+ months to finally get to our first IVF cycle so it does move slowly.

Keep posting!

__________________
Tweetness

Me - 30
DH - 33
DS - 4
TTC#2
M/C January 2007
IVF #1 - chem. preg Jan. 2008, 2 embryos on ice
FET 5/23 - transferred 2
beta #1 - 5/31 (8dpt) - 54
beta #2 - 6/2 (10dpt) - 161
beta #3 - 6/9 - (17dpt) - 3,397
6 wks. 5 days - 117 bpm, 7 wks. 4 days in the 150's

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

I am having a tonsillectomy on March 24th, and while we are on hold TTC, I want him to go ahead so that he can be treated now and then when I am better, hopefully he will be too!

Do you know how BCBS accepts this kinda stuff? I guess I need to just call?

__________________

Hi Molli! Welcome! I don't know much about Azoospermia or Retrograde Ejaculation as my DH had a varicocele that caused us problems. Chrissy knows a lot as you can see so she will be a great help for you! It is a very sensitive subject for a man and I know it took my DH quite a while to accept it. He finally went and had surgery to repair the large varicocele he had last June and it was successful! We got pg in September and our baby is due in June of this year! Just be patient and understanding and it will all work out for you one way or another! Like the PP stated, there are lots of medical advances these days to assist you. Keep the faith!

Good luck to you and your DH! I hope you get some answers soon!

P.S. Good luck with your tonsillectomy! I hope it goes well and your recovery is quick!

__________________
Sheri

tweetness,
when u say you hubby had a slight varicocele, what do u mean by that? could u not see it?

all of the ladies on this board, we need to stick togther! my hubby had 3.2 million sperm and 40% motility when he had his last S/A...He is having surgery may 2 to get a varicocele on his left side fixed. i hear so many different opinions on whether this surgery works or not...so it makes me nervous. ill keep all of you posted for sure. i am also currently seeing an RE, whom i really like! i just had my blood tested and an HSG test..and those both turned out great...so that was good news for my DH and i! thanks for listening ladies..and i too would love any advice! hang in there everyone!