Dealing with azoospermia?

[tulip11]

Hi everyone
We were told that our next appointment ill be on 31st july n we ill receive our app letter v soon today we again inquired about that we havent received anything so they said that your appointment ill be on 13th August idk why they are doing this to us ? Our last appointment was on 23rd april and we are waiting so anxiously ...any rough idea why do they postpone appointments ?

 

[gem10]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this thread, but I've been reading everyone's story and it has been a relief to know that there are people out there going through the same thing. It's been so hard to talk to my friends about how I've been feeling because they just don't seem to understand.

A brief back-story for my husband and I:

I knew when I first met my husband that he suffered with azoospermia because it is something he has been dealing with his whole life. But I instantly fell in love with him and it didn't matter. I kept saying that I was meant to be a mom and God wouldn't have me fall deeply in love with someone who couldn't have kids. There's so much technology out there, I kept saying.

Flash forward 7 years we finally started looking into whether or not we could get pregnant. We met a urologist who was very positive and instantly made me feel like this was going to happen. He said, you're going to have to use IVF. He thought we'd be upset, but I was thrilled that there was hope! My husband is scheduled for a TESE procedure this summer.

So I went to have my tests done thinking, this parts easy, it's not me. We know that already. I went to have my HSG done and the radiologist tells me as I'm laying on the table..You have a heart shaped uterus and may not be able to carry a baby to term. I was devastated. I started crying on the table.

I went for my SIS two days later and my doctor said my uterus was fine. A sigh of relief. Until a week later I get a phone call once they received my results and said there's something there. But the doctor is on vacation for two weeks. When he returns he wants to meet and come up with a plan. The nurse said it won't affect our IVF treatments but could affect the transfer. Worst case we need a surrogate. I was devastated all over again. Our appointment is this week and I am so nervous. I feel like they want to do surgery, but I just don't know. It's all I can do to not break down and cry on a daily basis. Why is this so hard for us? We are good, responsible people. It really just hurts so bad

 

[silverbell]

Hi everyone
We were told that our next appointment ill be on 31st july n we ill receive our app letter v soon today we again inquired about that we havent received anything so they said that your appointment ill be on 13th August idk why they are doing this to us ? Our last appointment was on 23rd april and we are waiting so anxiously ...any rough idea why do they postpone appointments ?

I'm sorry this has happened. I work at a hospital (not infertility related) and often appointments have to be cancelled due to the Consultant being on annual leave, study leave, change of on-call rotas to that week or having to be at various training sessions. Appointments must also be cancelled sometimes if there is a particularly urgent case which requires somebody else to be moved, though I highly doubt this is the case for anything infertility related, as nothing is ever that urgent in the world of infertillity I wouldn't have thought.

I would give them a call and leave your numbers with them and tell them that you'd be more than happy to attend at very short notice should a cancellation come up. They may say they can't call you if this happens, but it's definitely worth a try.

 

[silverbell]

Hello all.

I thought it was time I posted on here to update my situation. I've missed a lot, I'm sure. I do hope there has been some happy news in amongst the sadness and hopelessness this thread inevitably contains.

After December's DIVF failure we had what was supposed to be our second and last try, starting in June. We had used up all our free NHS tries, so this was privately funded by us and we had decided if this didn't work then we would be giving up.

After a smooth start to the cycle and finding at least 7 follicles on the scans, I went for my egg collection ... only to be told when I'd come around from the sedation a bit that they'd found just 1 single egg. The rest of the follicles were empty. They injected the egg via ICSI with donor sperm ... but it didn't fertilise. I cried my heart out the next morning after the embryologist phoned to tell me.

So we spent over £5000 not to mention huge amounts of travelling (we live on an island) back and forth to appointments and time off work and all the emotional aspects of IVF ... for absolutely nothing. All our savings were gone.

I understand they think this all points to problems with my eggs and 'maturation issues'. I've got a low AMH for my age anyway, but first time around I had 10 eggs, though only 4 fertilised and only 2 made it. So perhaps that was a clue.

DH and I have said we need to have 1 last try because we never got our last chance. However, as difficult as it has been to decide ... we won't be using my eggs. We wouldn't feel confident with them any more and we'd rather have an excellent chance from eggs we know are top quality rather than pure guesswork and most probably more heartache by using my own.

So we are now looking into donor embryo donation/adoption abroad (UK lists are very long and expensive and the clinics that offer it few and far between).

Although it was nerve-wracking to begin with and a bit scary, I've done quite a bit of research in the past week since EC and have learned a lot and we really do feel it's our best option. Due to the costs abroad we may even get to have 2 chances, which would be fab. We shall be getting into debt to do this, but we feel we have to do it and can soon pay it all back.

We feel like we're starting from scratch again, which is good in a way because some of the old excitement and hope has started to return (I completely lost this after last December's failure and didn't have any hope or excitement at all this 2nd IVF try). I'm really hoping this will be the answer for us. We're hoping to go for it in October, all being well. Just got to narrow our choices down and do a bit more research.

If this doesn't work then we'll start the long road towards adoption, but we feel like we have to give donor embryo a chance first.

I think of you all often - not just those I've met along the way on this thread, but even those of you I've not 'spoken' to on here. Because I think of ladies and men out there dealing with azoospermia most days and it makes me so sad. I do so hope that medical advances will one day soon mean that this sort of infertility just isn't an issue.

 

[Chimera]

Hi all,

I have spent the last 5 hours reading from the beginning of these posts and thought I had to post before bed! Deb111 thank you for encouraging members and popping up on google for me, I think its great you are still on here supporting others. So many of your stories have had me in a whirl of emotions. Its great to see so much care and support.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 7 years and ttc for just over two years. I'm 28 and he's 29. We went to the doctors at around 17 months and have been referred to urologists, to specialists and back to urologists. I'm sure they are all repeating the same tests and we're not going anywhere fast.
They have diagnosed DH with azoospermia and they suspect it;s obstructive. My tests have come back mostly fine, I am by definition polycystic in right ovary but they said this is not an issue.

Currently we are waiting on an appointment to see what a different urologist says about possible surgery for him. Has any one had corrective surgery? I know Deb mentioned in a much earlier post that this was not recommended for low success rates. Otherwise and most likely they we will need IVF. Both concern me as they haven't even taken a sample or checked to see if there is any sperm.

Thanks for reading! x

 

[arzoo]

Hi All, thought of posting a quick update post our appointment yesterday.

Initially I was pleased at the way the appointment went, but.... there is always a but. Before that, a brief about the appointment. We were well prepared and had a list of things we wanted to discuss with the doctor. Mr Ramsay was very patient and answered all the things we had in our list. We went through things for example..... DH had been hurt once playing football, his mother has ulceric Colitis and so on. What was little surprising was the doctor was not even keen to examine DH to check if he had undecended testicles. We had to sort of ask him to do the examination. We had already done the basic tests which he had already gone through and given the high FSH determined that it was NOA. He asked us to do some further tests and also to do a scan for vericocele. He explained to us that post the tests he will determine if DH needs to be given any medication to boost our chance of finding a sperm. He asked us to repeat some of the tests which we had done on NHS , I was not very pleased about having to repeat those tests now and having to pay for it.

I mentioned to him that DH was having wellman tablets which he asked to continue. So we are waiting to get these tests done and then go back to see him again in 2 weeks time. I do not have the paper with me, but next time I log in I will update about the additional blood tests which we have been asked to do.
Now about the "but,...." I think after the long wait , which in our case was about 2 month (since we have gone private) I was hoping to have some magic answers to the big question of - is there hope for us to have our own biological child and I did not get any. I know I was a little naive to hope for that answer this early on. But still a little disappointed.

 

[Hopeful Cat]

Wow lots of action on this forum. Firstly welcome to the newbies...sorry to here of ur infertility journeys so far but I hope u find comfort and support hete. Regardless of extent of infertility we r all struggling with the same heartbreak.

Tulip - ive had some delayed appointments with our specialists if they were callerd into surgery. Once u start ur ivf cycle things can become very time-sensitive and they will take priority over general appointments. Could this b the case for you?

Arzoo - ive only been on private and we only got a percentage chance after many many appointments. They gave us a tiny chance of finding sperm and they found some. They havent given us a chance of falling pregnant or having a resulting baby though...just for finding sperm

 

[Deb111]

Chimera - glad you found us.
Not sure if I am reading this correctly, but are you saying they have diagnosed azoo WITHOUT doing a semen analysis???

 

[Chimera]

Hi all, I am waLking to work so sorry about the short reply, I will check again later. deb my boyfriend has had 3 sa all coming back 0. All blood rests done for both.

Regarding appointments last month we were given one for end of Sept so I rang and asked for a cancellation and they gave me end of August. I'm going to try and move it forward again today. I'm nhs and with ucl, worth a try to those waiting ages

Also I hoped for same magic answers every appointment, Its very frustrating. I hope you feel better today x

 

[silverbell]

Now about the "but,...." I think after the long wait , which in our case was about 2 month (since we have gone private) I was hoping to have some magic answers to the big question of - is there hope for us to have our own biological child and I did not get any. I know I was a little naive to hope for that answer this early on. But still a little disappointed.

To be honest it's too early for him to say. We had a similar first consultation with him and had hoped for more, but in hindsight I think he doesn't want to give anybody false hopes and without all these tests and things he is requesting he really doesn't want to say as he can't possibly know at this stage. It wasn't until our later appointment that he gave us what he believed to be the percentage rate of success for our particular case and I think even then we asked him for this as we needed a rough idea so that we knew what to prepare ourselves for.

As for the tests that need repeating, I would ask your GP if they would re-take them. That's what we did (although we did see Mr Ramsay privately initially and then got referred to him via the NHS and saw him that way).

 

[arzoo]

It is really sad to see new people joining in. Welcome Chimera. Thanks for ur note silver bell. Out NHS appointment is only mid September and my impatience won't let me wait till then, so we are getting the tests done privately we are trying to see if we can get the tests done this week so we can go back to see mr Ramsay earlier.

Debs you are amazing. Your story and fighting spirit gives me a lot of courage to go through this difficult time.

 

[MrsG30]

Morning ladies,

Hope your all ok?
Hi to the new girls, sorry to find you here but we will all help as much as we can in this shitty situation. Like someone else said earlier we might have diff reasons for azoo and be at diff stages in treatment but I'm pretty sure the horrid feeling I have deep in the pit off my stomach and the constant nerves I have you all feel too. Please don't feel alone.

silverbell- thanks for the update, always interesting to read others journeys and plans.

I'm in the UK and using the NHS and I must be honest I have had no problems (so far) with the NHS, I know its a postcode lottery and I believe I'm one the lucky ones as where I live we been told we get 6 rounds of IUI then 3 IVF/ICSI with possible 4th free if I donate some eggs to trial and our fertility centre is only 10 minutes away.This has calmed me slightly as I don't know what we would do if it wasn't available to us.
As for appointment times, DH had his original Azoo diagnose is Feb, so 4 months ago, in that time he has had blood work done, seen the urologist, seen a councillor, I've had all my scans an bloodwork done, our donor has had his initial appointment and were just waiting for a timeplan for treatment coming through. the only thing which frustrates me is the time they take to prepare the DS.
Our DR is currently working with our donors DR to remove some of the tests an unknown donor would need and he is family so I'm hoping it will reduce the time and we can get started quicker. Seems silly as we all get seen at the same clinic but due to some law we cant be seen together and the DR's can only discuss on our say so.

I am currently waiting for my AMH level test to come back and I must admit it's got me a nervous wreck???

any news anyone? any appointment's looming? any results coming through?

Hope your all ok xxxx

 

[gem10]

Thanks ladies for the warm welcome. We took our IVF class last night and we spoke to our nurse afterwards. When we first met with the doctor he was pushing us to get donor sperm as a back up in case they don't find anything during the TESE procedure. Well, after searching for weeks we narrowed it down to three. We paid the $75 to get pictures of our final three and none of them even came close to looking like my husband. I immediately became so frustrated. I don't want to get back up. I kept wondering why can't they do the procedure and if there's nothing there just freeze my eggs and then we will look for a donor? So, I think that's what we have decided to do, even though the chances of having good eggs after freezing them are much lower than fertilizing them then freezing them.

The nurse also spoke to me about my uterus, which they found was heart shaped during my HSG. She has a feeling they may want to do exploratory surgery, but we won't know for sure until our appointment tomorrow.

My husband can't understand why I'm so upset about it. But it feels like we are so close and I was thinking we could even be implanted as soon as next month, but now (if he even has sperm) we will have to freeze the embryos to correct my problem. It just feels like this is never going to happen for us

 

[Chimera]

Thank you all for welcoming me!

MrsG30 you have done loads in the last few months. I'm glad you're on a roll!

Gem10 i'm sorry to hear about your news and that you have to wait, it's good that the doctor sounds like he has a plan in mind though. Good luck for tomorrow!

Can I ask what anyone's first urologist appointment was like after they said it's azoo? I can just imagine we'll pay another small fortune to get there and they'll give us five minutes to send us away for months on end again.

 

[gem10]

Thanks Chimera. I've been waiting for this appointment for weeks, I can't wait for tomorrow to get here.

When our doctor confirmed there were zero sperm, he told us "It looks like you're going to have to IVF" Which to me, was good news, because I figured there was no hope at all. He referred us to our IVF doctor and at that first meeting we set up when we would start IVF which actually moved very quickly. We went mid-June and we are set to have eggs retrieved at the end of the month. They are coordinating the TESE procedure so that it will be done the day before the egg retrieval. They are also doing the procedure with the embryologist there so they can test the samples as they get them to get the best possible result. I know how you feel. When we found out we had to meet with a fertility specialist I was thinking, great, more consultations and weeks of waiting, but like I said, it actually moved pretty quickly.

I hope that helps!

 

[rdleela]

Hi all,

I have spent the last 5 hours reading from the beginning of these posts and thought I had to post before bed! Deb111 thank you for encouraging members and popping up on google for me, I think its great you are still on here supporting others. So many of your stories have had me in a whirl of emotions. Its great to see so much care and support.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 7 years and ttc for just over two years. I'm 28 and he's 29. We went to the doctors at around 17 months and have been referred to urologists, to specialists and back to urologists. I'm sure they are all repeating the same tests and we're not going anywhere fast.
They have diagnosed DH with azoospermia and they suspect it;s obstructive. My tests have come back mostly fine, I am by definition polycystic in right ovary but they said this is not an issue.

Currently we are waiting on an appointment to see what a different urologist says about possible surgery for him. Has any one had corrective surgery? I know Deb mentioned in a much earlier post that this was not recommended for low success rates. Otherwise and most likely they we will need IVF. Both concern me as they haven't even taken a sample or checked to see if there is any sperm.

Thanks for reading! x

Hi, glad you found us! We had obstructive azoos, and we had a successful surgery, and have had sperm return. Please read my journal for more info (link below) and also PM me if you have any questions, at all!

 

[Stinas]

HI everyone! Hope all is well with you ladies!

Hello to all the new ladies. I hate to see new people here. Its a super hard journey, but all these lovely ladies have helped tremendously. Its nice to know you are not alone and people here truly understand everything you are going through and how you are feeling.

As for me...finally got AF after our D&C/Miscarriage. On BCP's right now until I get back from vacation later this month, then we will start our FET. If that does not work, we have decided on the same surgery rdleela had, but our doc will also do a TESE at same time, minus the extra cuts. Somehow he said he can get tissue at same time going through the same entrance?...something like that.
I am just hoping it all works with the FET, then im done lol

 

[rdleela]

As for me...finally got AF after our D&C/Miscarriage. On BCP's right now until I get back from vacation later this month, then we will start our FET. If that does not work, we have decided on the same surgery rdleela had, but our doc will also do a TESE at same time, minus the extra cuts. Somehow he said he can get tissue at same time going through the same entrance?...something like that.
I am just hoping it all works with the FET, then im done lol

So happy you are getting ready for your FET now, get the ball rolling again! I was surprised to read that you guys would try the same surgery we had! What was it that got you guys thinking of going down that path? Please let me know if I can help you in anyway! but I agree, hope this FET is your baby! Would DH consider getting the surgery done anyways, so that if u decided to have baby #2, it could be through a different path? Just curious

 

[Stinas]

So happy you are getting ready for your FET now, get the ball rolling again! I was surprised to read that you guys would try the same surgery we had! What was it that got you guys thinking of going down that path? Please let me know if I can help you in anyway! but I agree, hope this FET is your baby! Would DH consider getting the surgery done anyways, so that if u decided to have baby #2, it could be through a different path? Just curious

We have one vial of tissue left from TESE, we are not sure how much sperm is left, if any in it. Plus we have decided that if this FET does not work, we wouldnt want to use that sperm anyways if it is going to get us the same results. So if the surgery does not work, at least we got a little more tissue. What upsets me is that if we do decide to do the surgery, we would have to leave our fertility center because they wont allow our urologist to do the TESE at the same time.
I kind of would like him to do the surgery even if this works, but I wouldnt mind if he does not want to as well. At this point we will be happy with whatever we get, whether its one baby or twins. I am exhausted....but then again, I guess we will just have to see what happens...and how we feel at that point.

 

[rdleela]

I completely get your train of thought! The one thing I would caution you on with the surgery we had, is that it will take a long time for sperm to show up, so that's why I mention baby #2...it could be a long term plan for you guys...I think it's awesome they could extract some tissue at the same time, and get you going with that quicker! We didn't even have that option because we weren't dealing with surgeon who was with a fertility clinic. I'm happy you guys have more options to consider!!!