Dealing with azoospermia?

[SineadM]

Hi everyone

I've been lurking and reading this thread ever since my Hubby got his zero SA results and thought it was about time I posted.

A little about myself, I'm 33 and Hubby is 37, we've been married for nearly 2 years but together 8.

We started TTC in Oct 2011, we waited until about April 2012 when I managed to talk Hubby into us going to see our GP, I was very paranoid about something being wrong with me as I compete in Bodybuilding competitions, my bodyfat gets so low towards the competition date that my periods stop. I never dreamt there would be anything wrong with him. Everything down there looks normal and he has an incredibly high sex drive

So GP sent me for bloods and him for SA ( we fibbed about how long we had been trying for )

My bloods came back as normal but his SA was zero... Hubby did say the sample was quite low in volume so the GP sent him off for another one ... Zero again

We were both distraught, our world had just fallen to bits. Our GP referred him to a Urologist at the local hospital who sent him for bloods & a scan - he said when examining everything seemed to be normal

So the bloods were done straight away but the follow up appt had to wait until the scan was done - which took FOREVER !! After months of chasing he finally got the appt and I went along with him, totally expecting to find a blockage.

The sonographer said everything was totally normal which was great from a health point of view but not the answer we wanted !

He had his follow up appt a week later and the urologist said his bloods were normal so he would be referred for an Op to clear a suspected blockage and they would also perform SSR incase the op didn't work.

Again, it took ages for the appt to come through, this was at UCL in London so not our local hospital.

The consultant he saw examined him and we were totally expecting him to agree with the original doc and put him on the waiting list for the op. But he actually said he could not feel his Vas tubes ... they weren't there.

So they wouldn't try to clear a blockage, it was straight to SSR and then IVF with ICSI

I say straight to SSR, that's a complete lie because the NHS are so crap at talking to eachother, the doc wanted him to repeat ALL of the tests again so they have them on record.

So he had to have bloods done again, another scan is booked on the end of Jan, he can do his sample at the same time ( silly boy had been ' busy ' so couldn't provide it that day ) and then a follow up appt to discuss the results the end of April.

So frustrating we just seem to be waiting so long for the next step to then feel we aren't getting anywhere.

I am so scared, I am scared something will have changed in the tests or he'll be a CF carrier, I am scared we will be given more problems

I am scared they won't find any sperms, I am scared there could still be something wrong with me as I've only had bloods done.

I am scared the ICSI won't work, if it does work then we could lose it

I hate all of this, it's all so uncertain

The flip side is, in the grand scheme of things we are actually quite lucky - they have found a definite problem and the likelyhood of something else being wrong is very small but all we can do is take each step at a time and deal with everything at that point and not before.

We have an incredibly strong marriage, we've laughed as much as we've cried, we've joked about him not needing the snip, we've joked about the sperms being trapped in there like the Chilean minors and we've supported eachother through the bad days.

I want him to have the SSR on the NHS and then look at possibly going private for the ICSI, I don't think I can handle the looong NHS waiting times... Our Father In Law has very kindly offered to pay for any treatment we need.

So 2013 will be a very rocky year for us, lots of waiting but I am reminded of this quote ' Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain '

I love that quote so much, I am getting it tattooed on my rib cage at the end of this month.

I wish you all health & happiness for 2013 and I wish all our dreams come true x

 

[Stinas]

Mo - I would push for him to go get a more thorough exam. You just never know. I think some of these docs just want you to go through IVF...its like their easy way out/more money for them type of thing.

SineadM - Im sorry to see you here, but you did find a great group of ladies. Everyones story is totally different, but all our emotions are pretty much the same.
I found azoo to be a waiting game. I wish it were different, but in order to get things done in our cases, waiting is what we have to do.
Before you go ahead with IVF/ICSI, I suggest making sure DH has had every test and exam possible. We got scared and were tired of waiting, so we jumped ahead with IVF/ICSI, instead of doing the surgery to "unblock" DH......it didnt work out, knowing that I wish I did the surgery instead of going through all those emotions/stress of IVF.....not to mention the 30k+.....just to end up at square one. Jan 22 we are going to do the surgery we were originally offered.
IVF is not easy.....so try all the "easy" things first, keep IVF as your last option.
I feel like thats what I have learned through this process so far.

 

[Deb111]

Welcome sinead. Unfortunately your story of the nhs not communucating and long delays is all too common

It does sound very positive that they have a reason for the azoo and theres no reason to think there should be any other issues. Easier said than done but try not to worry about things that havent happened - im the worst one to preach about this!

Im glad you and your dh are so strong. You will get through this x x

 

[Pearlie11]

Hi. My DH and I have been TTC for 1.5 years. After 6 months of nothing we both got examined and tested. I'm okay, but DH's SA came up with zero sperm. We got his azoo diagnosis one year ago (Jan 12). He has normal genetics and normal hormones. Well, his fsh is on the low side. He had three large varicoceles repaired in March of 2012. The urologist told us it can take up to 12 months to see improvement in sperm after a varicocele repair, but, that there may be no improvement. Also, at the same time of the varicocele repair he also had a mtese. Only immature sperm were found. The doctor said he has late stage maturation arrest. And he said it could be due to the varicoceles or it could be something idiopathic. We started seeing a RE who recommended DH start taking injections of recombinant fsh three times a week for approximately 3-6 months. So we just started that last week and we'll be doing that for at the very least the next three months. The absolute best outcome would be if (please God) there is ultimately sperm in his ejaculate. But, we understand that is a longshot and DH may likely have to go through another mtese later this year. Dh is so amazing. This whole thing has really made me realize even more how lucky I am to have him. He doesn't complain about any of the needles, surgeries, doctor appointments, nothing. He is the best. I wouldn't trade him for anything. But my heart brakes for him. For us. Its so sad.

So we're back waiting. A position I'm sure you can all relate to. And of course during this time literally every single one of the women in our circle of friends has gotten pregnant, had a baby or about to try for their next one. I know I don't have to tell you guys how hard this is. And of course I go through my moments where I am so judgmental towards parents and think how much better DH and I would be, and how its not fair. And then I remind myself how lucky we are in other ways. We've been going to therapy to deal with the very real possibility that we may end up having to adopt or use donor sperm. I'm just not ready to give up on DH yet. I am so conflicted on how I feel about adoption versus donor. I think that while we are still treating DH and hoping that we can get sperm from him, its too difficult to move on to considering other forms of family building.

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm so sorry for all of us going through it, but it really does help to know we are not alone. Our friends know that we have infertility problems but they don't know the specifics and we don't really talk about it with them. Our families know, but none of our friends know, so forums like this really help me vent and not feel alone.

Thanks for listening. And if there is anyone out there whose DH has NOA and has had a successful mtese, or a successful repeated mtese, or tried fsh injections, I'd love to hear about it.

Here's hoping 2013 is a good year for everyone.

 

[deafgal01]

Pearlie... I'm always sad to see new people join the boat we're all in, but you've come to a great forum for information. My hubby may not be in the same situation but we can definitely relate on the emotions- everyone else pregnant or trying for their second.

If it helps, I look at adoption vs donation in this way. With adoption, you don't have anything much to contribute to it except "buying" the child/baby. Both of you would become 'the parents' of the child/baby you adopt without all the pregnancy stuff (morning sickness, ultrasounds, dr appts before baby comes). As for donation, depending on what type you go for... It can be seen as "half-adoption" if that makes sense, if you do it with just donor sperm. But at least in that situation your hubby and you can have fun experiencing the pregnancy joys together in that journey. Everyone comes to their own conclusion at what they're most comfortable with. You're right not to give up on your DH, especially if your insurance will cover it or if you can afford it.

 

[SunUp]

Hi wonderful Azoo ladies! I am so sorry for being a bad supporter! I just wanted to wish everyone well at where you each are in your journey!
Welcome to the new ladies, so sorry you have to be here but the support here was SO helpful for me, from the point of diagnosis and all the way through treatment.

I really hope 2013 turns into a beautiful year for all of you!

 

[Chickensoup85]

Hello,

Welcome to the board Sinead and Pearlie!

I hope everyone is getting on ok.

Just a quickie, had a private consultation for mTESE today and was told it will be £5500 for it with blockage removal. Does this sound like a normal price? Seen cheaper but thats just TESE, not the mTESE. Also, can't find anywhere that does the micro surgery to compare with.

What are your experiences of it?

Thanks.

 

[Deb111]

Hubbys mTESE was £7500 so that sounds like a fair price x

 

[Mrs.X]

Hi! Me and my husband have two daughters. We want to get pregnant for the third time. Almoust two years I can't get pregnant. A month ago we founded, that my hubby got azoospermia How could this happen? With our two pregnancy we didn't had a problems... My hubby don't smoke, don't drink.

Sorry for my spellings....

 

[deafgal01]

No idea, Mrs. X. Lots of stuff could have happened since the last time you had your girls together.

 

[Pearlie11]

deafgal, thanks for your input re adoption versus donor, I hadn't thought of it like that before. Always appreciate other opinions and learning how others came to their decisions. And thanks for the welcome from everyone else.

Not much to update for us now because we're going to be doing the fsh injections for DH for at least three months. So we won't have any news one way or another for a little while now. But I will continue to check in here and see how everyone else is doing.

I hope and pray that 2013 will bring us all closer to having the family we all wish for.

 

[CanadianMaple]

Pearlie, that's how I was able to accept donor sperm. I looked at it almost like a 1/3 adoption in a way since the gestation is also controlled. I didn't want to trust someone else to gestate a baby and trust they would make all the choices I would.

AFM: We are doing IVF! I had my mock embryo transfer done on Monday and I start the ASA and BCP tomorrow for 21 days. DH's TESA is booked for Feb 21 and my ER the following day. We know DH only has a 20% chance for finding sperm, so we still have our donor backup and will hope for the best. I'm terrified since I never thought we would go as far as doing IVF/ICSI.

 

[CanadianMaple]

Hi! Me and my husband have two daughters. We want to get pregnant for the third time. Almoust two years I can't get pregnant. A month ago we founded, that my hubby got azoospermia How could this happen? With our two pregnancy we didn't had a problems... My hubby don't smoke, don't drink.

Sorry for my spellings....

Did he have mumps or any kind of infections or surgeries? I'm so sorry, that has to be rough since you would just assume you would both still be fertile.

 

[Stinas]

Canadian - Thats good news that you have the ball rolling!! Yay!

 

[Mrs.X]

My hubby had an operation for his broken leg. Had lots of x-rays.

 

[Pearlie11]

Canadian - good luck for the upcoming tesa! I will think such good thoughts for you and hope that they find sperm from your DH and that the IVF/ICSI is a success. I feel that every success story just makes me feel more hopeful so I'll be praying for you guys.

 

[Pearlie11]

Canadian - good luck for the upcoming tesa! I will think such good thoughts for you and hope that they find sperm from your DH and that the IVF/ICSI is a success. I feel that every success story just makes me feel more hopeful so I'll be praying for you guys.

Oh, Canadian, I was wondering, what is the cause of your DH's azoo? Do you know? We don't know the exact cause of my DH's azoo...his hormones are normal, although on the low side of normal (but you would never know, he's always had high sex drive and normal sex life, etc), and all the genetics are normal (no Y-microchromosome deletion, no karyotype). He did have three large varicoceles so its possible that was the cause, but I understand that the correlation between varicoceles and azoo is uncertain. Our urologist and RE basically told us that sometimes they just don't know.

 

[Hopeful Cat]

Hi Ladies,

Hope everybody had a great Christmas and New Years regardless of the difficulties we are all facing.

My husband is Scottish (i'm Australian) so we spent our Christmas in Scotland this year and had the chance to tell a few very close friends and family members of our struggle. It was hard to hear that most of them were hoping we were going to bring some pregnancy news. We have been married for nearly 2 years now and i'm hoping we don't start getting the dreaded 'when are you guys going to have a baby' question from those that don't know.

My husband has gone in for his second SA test and i've got him taking male fertility pills at the moment hoping it makes any sort of difference. We are booked in for his first appointment with a specialist later this month. I really have no idea what the initial steps are or what to expect at all.

So for the moment it is just a waiting game. I think that's the worst part.... feeling helpless.

 

[BettiS]

Hey girls! Sorry I haven't been on here in a while.

Welcome to the new ladies. Not a fun position to be in, but very supportive and knowledgeable ladies here make it more bearable.

Deafgal, I would love to post a pic of the tattoo, but have NO idea how to post pics here! Any suggestions? It's nicely healed now, and I can't WAIT to go for another (they warn that tattooing is addictive - they're right!).

We have decided to postpone DH's biopsy until June/July at the earliest - we won't be able to do ICSI before December anyway. We need to save some money first and at the moment we're just trying get our back yard to look like something (our dogs are diggers, and destroy all and any plants we try to plant), so now we're going to put concrete slabs with grass in between down, and build a plant/flower bed that's about 50cm above the ground so that the dogs can't get in there. Also kind of considered linking the flower bed to the electric fencing so that my one dog that's a jumper can learn a hard lesson (I guess that's not very humane of me, but I'm desperate - won't really do it though). It's kind of expensive to get the back yard in order, so other expenses will just have to wait a few months.

Started work today REALLY hate being back after a 5 week holiday, but I guess I have to earn money somehow.

Hope everyone will have a great day!

 

[Soili]

Also kind of considered linking the flower bed to the electric fencing so that my one dog that's a jumper can learn a hard lesson

You're not serious about that though? It sounds so cruel.