Ladies Fighting Male Factor Infertility

[Pink Petals]

Hello!

I am looking for some buddies who are dealing with male factor infertility! We can share our ups and downs and support one another through TTC!

Here is my story...

DH and I started trying in June 2012, almost a year after we got married and a month after buying our first home. I am a bit of a control freak, so right off the bat, it was OPKs and BBT charting. We thought we would get PG within a couple of months, but no such luck. As the months went by, I started to worry that something might be wrong. And so in my usual way, I spent lots of time googling the various things that could be wrong. One thing I read about was varicocele, dilated veins in a man's testicle that can overheat the sperm. I mentioned this possibility to DH and as it turned out, he has always had bulging veins down there, but never thought anything of it...

Well an ultrasound and two semen analyses later, we now know that he has a varicocele and low morphology. His count and motility are normal, but his morphology came back at 1-2%. We have been referred to a urologist (there may be surgical options) and a fertility specialist (IUI and IVF might be possible)... but it will be months before we get in since I live in Canada.
In the meantime, we will keep trying for a natural BFP.

So that is our story. I would love to hear yours!!!

 

[Pink Petals]

Bump!

 

[jojo87]

Hi there! DH and I are also facing male factor infertility. His first SA was 4 million and the second was 5.2 million (any improvement is good, I suppose). We went to one urologist (who didn't specialize in infertility). He said there was a varicocele and wanted to do the surgery. But I found a lot of info that said it doesn't always correct the problem, so we were hesitant. We went to another urologist who specializes in infertility. He did not think the varicocele was very large and may not be the problem. We have an ultrasound scheduled for next week to check.

One thing I might mention- did your urologist mention genetic testing? Our doc said that if the varicocele repair doesn't work, it's usually because of an underlying genetic problem. So he suggested that we do the testing to rule it out, because the varicocele repair would be pointless if he had something genetic. We are still waiting on genetic results. If the doc does want to do surgery, we may wait a little while and see if it happens naturally. Anything is possible. So in the meantime we are trying to be healthier (we both eat a lot of junk food and drink a lot of soda) and exercise. I also have him taking a vitamin called Conception XR. It's similar to Fertilaid but quite a bit cheaper

 

[Pink Petals]

Hi!
I am sorry you are going through this, but it is nice to find others in the same situation!
That is interesting about the genetics. If we end up needing fertility treatments after the surgery, we are going to ask for the DNA testing. Unfortunately, it is expensive and it takes 6 months, because they send it down to the U.S. But I think it's important!
I am hoping that varicocele is our problem. It is large enough that it can be felt, so it could be having an impact.
Have you had any testing on your end?
Good luck on your ultrasound!

 

[jojo87]

Hi,

Well, we had to move the ultrasound because the genetic tests aren't back. I hope ours don't take that long, I was expecting it to only take a few weeks. And here's a huge disappointment. DH had hormones tested and the genetic tests. Originally, the doc's office said all the tests were normal, but thenI found out that didn't include the genetics For a few seconds I had a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, just to have it thrown back on! Before, I didn't want the varicocele to be the problem. Now I do because at least it can be fixed. I'm hoping it's not genetic because his count is over 5 million (but barely), and usually genetic problems cause less than 5 million.

The only thing that I have had done is blood work to check for PCOS. All of that came back ok. If DH were to be diagnosed with a varicocele, then I will probably have an HSG done just to make sure my tubes are open before he goes through surgery. My gyno doesn't think I have blocked tubes, but I have very painful periods so I'm not so sure.

 

[Pink Petals]

Well it sounds like the odds are in your favor about the genetics tests. Likely, it is the varicocele. I did not know about the 5 million count thing. That is good news for us, because DH has a good count. We have not had genetic testing yet, because we are still waiting to get in for initial consults.

We got good news yesterday. It was going to be a 10 month wait to see the urologist, but if we can get into a clinic in the Okanagan one province over, then it will be a 2 month wait! And DH's family lives there, so he can stay with them if we go for the surgical option!

Still a 7-8 month wait for the fertility specialist though.

Do you know how much longer for your genetics test results?