Hi I'm new to all this but I've realised that I need to discuss my situation because it is now consuming my life!!
Me and my partner have been together for 6 years and have been TTC for 18 Months. We found out last month that he has Azoospermia.. This was a massive shock, never in my mind did i think that this would be an issue. I have spent the last month researching and making myself go crazy with the possible outcomes.
Im a very impatient person and the wait for referrals on the NHS is making everything seem worse, i just want answers and advice on whats going to happen. My partner is such a positive person, I'm trying hard not to be so negative!!
Does anyone have advice or been through a similar situation?!
Hi MaeBrown,
Welcome! You've definitely come to the right place. I can definitely relate to what you're feeling. I remember feeling so confused when my husband's semen analysis came back with 0 sperm. I drove myself crazy researching on google. Here's kind of a step by step guide to what will happen next.
How many SA's has he done? My husband did two SA's (showing 0 sperm) before they referred him to a urologist. Since it seems as though the problem lies with your husband, not you, you really don't need to see a fertility specialist yet. The urologist will handle everything on your husband's side. Once my DH went to a urologist, he told him that the initial two SA's were computerized, not hand counted, so he sent him for a 3rd SA at a special lab where they actually hand count the sperm. The 3rd sample was centrifuged (they spun the sample) and actually found 5 sperm total. 3 were non-progressive twitching sperm, and 2 were non-motile. They then did 2 blood tests to check for all hormone levels. This is an important step. Has your husband done a blood sample yet? There's two types of azoospermia- obstructive and non-obstructive. Obstructive is when there's some type of block preventing the sperm from getting through. Obstructive can be repaired surgically but it's sometimes hard for the urologist to differentiate between obstructive and non-obstructive. One indicator is a high FSH level, which suggests testicular failure. My DH has high FSH and there was fructose present in his semen, and all his other hormones are normal, so this told the urologist that his problem is most likely non-obstructive. Also, because there's some sperm in his sample, it's most likely non-obstructive.
We were told IVF with ICSI and testicular sperm extraction is our only option. Urologist is confident he'll get enough sperm from his testicle to inject it directly into my egg for IVF. Only problem is it costs 15k here in California for IVF and we don't have that kind of money right now.
How far along has your husband got in testing? After all SA's and blood samples are taken, he can also have a biopsy done on his testicle (where the urologist takes a small tissue sample from his testicle). This will tell the doctor 100% whether or not his problem is obstructive or non-obstructive. We haven't decided if we'll do the biopsy yet. The urologist doesn't recommend it for us since he's fairly certain it's non-obstructive and thinks it's a uneccessary surgery, but he said if we want peace of mind it's the only way he'll be able to tell us 100% either way.
I hope this info helps! Let me know if you have any specific questions. I've learned so much throughout this whole process, and I know how overwhelming it can be at first. Good thing is you're in the beginning and have so many options still
Good luck,
Nicole
