Sperm sample

[Fallon01]

Hi ladies,
Wondering if anyone can help. Hubby and I were sent for fertility tests back in 2012! It ended with me finding out I needed my tubes removed and Hubby having very poor sperm. Can't remember numbers but basically everything that could be wrong with it was wrong so ICSI needed. Now four years on we are saving to go for the treatment, Hubby hasn't had another sperm test since the one on 2012 and we are wondering if before we are ready to be referred for treatment...probably another 6months (saving money) will the doctors let him have another test done? Would be interesting to see if it's gotten any better over the last four years and if so it would inspire him I think to try and improve it even more in the next 6months then maybe we wouldn't even need ICSI....
TIA xxx

 

[froggyfrog]

Most likely they will want to repeat it, most places like to have repeat tests anyway because a Sperm count can be affected by almost anything, so I would almost bet after 4 years they would want to check everything out again.

 

[Fallon01]

Thank you x

 

[Myshelsong]

They will absolutely want to do a resample before they do an ICSI, don't worry. Although they might do it at the new clinic, you should be referred no matter what if your tubes were removed. Might as well get it done at the clinic you will be using.

Good luck, we are now pregnant with an ICSI IVF so there are lots of positive stories oit there even if his sperm are still damaged.

 

[Fallon01]

Thank you so much myshelsong for your reply! Massive congratulations on the ICSI working and you having your little Miricle! How far along are you? I am blessed with children already which I am forever grateful for. I conceived them all naturally before I met my husband 5years ago. He also loves my children like they are his own and constantly says if ISCI doesn't work then it's fine as he sees my children as his anyway. I just really really would love for him to experience that feeling of his own baby being born...also my youngest is nearly 7 now and I'm 31 an I keep thinking I'm not ready to never have a baba around me again. What will be will be though. How did you find the treatment? Xx

 

[Myshelsong]

Thank you, it is our miracle, we are still nervous it is still early but getting further along every day! We are 10 weeks 2 days today. I am still on progesterone which is normal for IVF patients so don't freak out if they give you drugs after. I am also on aspirin low dose. If you move forward I hope this works for you. We were very luck for it to work on the first IVF try.

I can tell you vitamins made a big impact on my hubs fragmentation issue. Not enough to conceive naturally but enough to make him feel better about himself. He was on Vitamin C, E and coQ10. I also threw in some folic and b vitamins for him, but those three were recommended by the doctor for three months prior to the treatment.

The procedure is pretty intense for us. There is a lot of drugs to promote additional follicle growth, so hormones will rage and depending on your clinic may involve a deregulation cycle where they put you on birth control for a month. I had about three vaginal ultrasounds and blood tests a week while the follicles were growing. More closer to retrieval date.
Retrieval is intense, it is done vaginally but I had some great drugs, hubby was there the whole time holding my hand and the main was minimal. The cramping after sucked though, not a fan. Hubby goes into another room after and ... Cough ... produces a fresh sample. We also paid for a frozen sample to be taken weeks earlier in case he had an issue on the day. It is pretty stressful.

After that you get told how many they got, how many were viable and the next day how many actually fertilized. From there it is a waiting game. Not all are going to make it, so you will find out when it is time to put them back! We did a five day fresh transfers so they were five days old, I have four survive and split like they were suppose to do. My doctor only wanted to put one back, which was good for us, so we have tree that are frozen for a sibling. Now I had 6 IUI prior to this, and I was so use to vaginal ultrasounds putting the egg back was NOTHING. It felt like a Pap smear, but that was because my cervix was soft and open and my doctor was great, some people feel pressure and cramping. This was not me.

The only difference between regular IVF and ICSI is behind the scenes. The techs find the best most regular sperm and physically insert it into the egg.

Hope this helps, it is unnerving and a bit stressful but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I really took it easy for the week after just to mentally prepare myself.

 

[Fallon01]

I'm with you on the vitamins!! I have heard that vitamin c and zinc can work wonders. We have a holiday booked at the end of July and we are also waiting for possibly three quarters of the ISCI funds to come in which should be soon so I think after the holiday I'm going to get some male fertility vitamins for him to start taking as at that stage we should be a few months off going for treatment. Unfortunately your past always catches up with you, at the time I met my husband he was taking rather large quantities of steroids as he was a body builder. It was only a year after he stopped that he had the sperm sample that showed he would never father a child naturally only through ICSI. I keep reminding him that that was three years ago and hopefully we never know his sperm might of repaired some what and be a little better! Thank you for your detailed account of the treatment it's really good to read people's experiences. Pain doesn't bother me at all, after having children anyway and going through surgery to remove my tubes I'm used to a whole heap of pain! Lol. Injecting myself tho...well that's a different story! I think I will have to get Hubby to do that. I'm so nervous that I won't know what to do or what to take and I'll get it all wrong even tho I know it will be explained it seems like a mine field. 10 weeks along is fab. Won't be long until you see your bean on the screen I imagine? I really took being able to conceive for granted when I was younger, I had my first at 15!! Now I've met the love of my life and such a fantastic man it's sometimes hard to grasp that at 31 I will never be able to do it naturally. Xx