Spouses with low sperm count.

[CaliDreaming]

Very welcome Briss! Sounds like you have been having a frustrated go of this with your DH. I can relate for sure because - well - guys don't get it (I'm one and I am learning haha). One thing that I found interesting when I saw the FS was how interested they were in my wife and not me. I did only 1 SA and the results weren't great but they didn't care for a long time. Fast forward a bit - I have had blood test return ok and everything else but my sperm count, motility and morph weren't good (9 million, 20%, and 3%). I have gone to 3 urologists since and have been poked, prodded and asked many crazy questions. It can all be a lot intense and for a guy - it seems like a huge embarrassing time and egos can be tested (ejaculating in a hospital bathroom isn't any good time). The big 3 things I was told by all of them were - you have your hair(that is something interesting I guess), I need to ejaculate more often, and how much water am I getting into my system because some may not be enough. I think the gene test is a great idea and I need to look into that!

Yeah they really don't spend enough time looking into the men's issues. Me and dh wasted a whole year at an RE's office. We spent thousands on drugs and tests on me and I even got exploratory surgery, only to find there was nothing at all wrong with me. At the beginning they told me his sperm was "ok, not great, but should be good enough to get me pregnant. I was 38 at the time and I think they just wrote it off due to my age and wanted to do IVF.

I didn't even think any thing of dh's SA until I got a second opinion from another doctor who looked at the SA and concluded that dh would never be able to impregnate me those numbers. Then after the surgery didn't find anything wrong, we had him start on supplements and three weeks later I got a bfp.

 

[Relaxedlevis]

Very welcome Briss! Sounds like you have been having a frustrated go of this with your DH. I can relate for sure because - well - guys don't get it (I'm one and I am learning haha). One thing that I found interesting when I saw the FS was how interested they were in my wife and not me. I did only 1 SA and the results weren't great but they didn't care for a long time. Fast forward a bit - I have had blood test return ok and everything else but my sperm count, motility and morph weren't good (9 million, 20%, and 3%). I have gone to 3 urologists since and have been poked, prodded and asked many crazy questions. It can all be a lot intense and for a guy - it seems like a huge embarrassing time and egos can be tested (ejaculating in a hospital bathroom isn't any good time). The big 3 things I was told by all of them were - you have your hair(that is something interesting I guess), I need to ejaculate more often, and how much water am I getting into my system because some may not be enough. I think the gene test is a great idea and I need to look into that!

Yeah they really don't spend enough time looking into the men's issues. Me and dh wasted a whole year at an RE's office. We spent thousands on drugs and tests on me and I even got exploratory surgery, only to find there was nothing at all wrong with me. At the beginning they told me his sperm was "ok, not great, but should be good enough to get me pregnant. I was 38 at the time and I think they just wrote it off due to my age and wanted to do IVF.

I didn't even think any thing of dh's SA until I got a second opinion from another doctor who looked at the SA and concluded that dh would never be able to impregnate me those numbers. Then after the surgery didn't find anything wrong, we had him start on supplements and three weeks later I got a bfp.

Oh man - exactly! They did the same thing right after my monash test! Straight to the IVF. I think it is pretty horrible to be honest the way they don't have a clue about things sometimes. I went in last month to my new urologist and I think the medical student that was with him did a better job listening. He really didn't figure that vitamins were helping me much whereas she thought that from my most recent results my regime was working. My results from my test in Sept was vastly different from the ones previous. I'm now going for more ultrasounds and more tests.

Also - I'm so glad to hear about your BFP - that is amazing and very encouraging!!

 

[melly2]

Very welcome Briss! Sounds like you have been having a frustrated go of this with your DH. I can relate for sure because - well - guys don't get it (I'm one and I am learning haha). One thing that I found interesting when I saw the FS was how interested they were in my wife and not me. I did only 1 SA and the results weren't great but they didn't care for a long time. Fast forward a bit - I have had blood test return ok and everything else but my sperm count, motility and morph weren't good (9 million, 20%, and 3%). I have gone to 3 urologists since and have been poked, prodded and asked many crazy questions. It can all be a lot intense and for a guy - it seems like a huge embarrassing time and egos can be tested (ejaculating in a hospital bathroom isn't any good time). The big 3 things I was told by all of them were - you have your hair(that is something interesting I guess), I need to ejaculate more often, and how much water am I getting into my system because some may not be enough. I think the gene test is a great idea and I need to look into that!

Hello,
My husband has very low counts. His highest has been 5.9 million. This all seems to be a result of his testicular cancer, however, we're starting to think there is more going on, because now his testosterone numbers are going down. I have a question about something you stated above. You said that the doctors said, "You have your hair". What did you mean by that?

Like everyone else, we've had numerous issues with doctors. It's also not helping that the person who wants a baby the most (my husband) is also the one that is in complete denial. He would rather not do the hard work, and just go to IVF, but I'd rather fix him, because to be honest, his problems could be an early sign of something else, like a failing testicle.

 

[Relaxedlevis]

Very welcome Briss! Sounds like you have been having a frustrated go of this with your DH. I can relate for sure because - well - guys don't get it (I'm one and I am learning haha). One thing that I found interesting when I saw the FS was how interested they were in my wife and not me. I did only 1 SA and the results weren't great but they didn't care for a long time. Fast forward a bit - I have had blood test return ok and everything else but my sperm count, motility and morph weren't good (9 million, 20%, and 3%). I have gone to 3 urologists since and have been poked, prodded and asked many crazy questions. It can all be a lot intense and for a guy - it seems like a huge embarrassing time and egos can be tested (ejaculating in a hospital bathroom isn't any good time). The big 3 things I was told by all of them were - you have your hair(that is something interesting I guess), I need to ejaculate more often, and how much water am I getting into my system because some may not be enough. I think the gene test is a great idea and I need to look into that!

Hello,
My husband has very low counts. His highest has been 5.9 million. This all seems to be a result of his testicular cancer, however, we're starting to think there is more going on, because now his testosterone numbers are going down. I have a question about something you stated above. You said that the doctors said, "You have your hair". What did you mean by that?

Like everyone else, we've had numerous issues with doctors. It's also not helping that the person who wants a baby the most (my husband) is also the one that is in complete denial. He would rather not do the hard work, and just go to IVF, but I'd rather fix him, because to be honest, his problems could be an early sign of something else, like a failing testicle.

Hi there Melly2! I'm sorry to hear about your husband's low counts. I can very much relate.

To your question: There is a gene in the X chromosome that causes male pattern baldness. The level of androgen's released by the human body is connected to both hair reduction and lower fertility levels as the quantity of testosterone. The doctor asked me about my head of hair and if I was taking any drugs that maintained this hair. If I was taking medication for this - it would inhibit my sperm completely and possibly affect more into the future if I continued. Since my full head of hair is natural - the doctor figured I might be missing the gene and is looking into it for me.

I don't blame you at all on fixing the problem as that natural way of conceiving a child is so much more - well - natural. I was also in complete denial and wasn't helped much by the doctors originally.

 

[Briss]

WhiteOrchid, Thank you! I am not concerned with 0% morphology cos DH was drinking way too much beer before doing the test. I know if he stays off beer his morphology will go up. my concern is even though his numbers can go up and down they never are anywhere near the norm. Still, I so hope he does not have any genetic issues.

Relaxedlevis, I agree with you, we had the same issue, my DH's SA came with low count and yet our FS completely ignored it and concentrated on me and put me through every known test including very invasive ones like laparoscopy. We were getting no help or advice on how to improve sperm count from FS. we had to research it all ourselves.

btw I looked at your Naked Briefs and I can totally understand why your wife likes them really sexy!

 

[Relaxedlevis]

Briss - Thank you! Those underwear are really comfy too! Highly recommend them!

 

[Briss]

Melly and Relaxedlevis, just going back to a full head of hair, I always thought it’s the other way around? I might be wrong but I thought that men with higher testosterone and higher sex drive (and presumably higher sperm count) are more likely to lose their hair at a younger age and men with full head of hair (like my DH) might have lower levels of testosterone and lower sex drive. Is this not the case?

 

[Zeri]

Really sorry to hear about this latest bump in the road, Briss! When do you get the results of the genetic tests? I guess those results would make all the difference in terms of how you move forward. I hope you get them soon and that it's not a genetic issue at play. I can understand the conflicting feelings you must have about staying or going...but I guess you'll have to wait to see what those results say first, and then look at the options available from there.

Your doc shared some interesting things. I didn't realize exercise could have such a negative effect on sperm count? I always read that they recommend exercise for boosting testosterone...maybe weight-lifting is more recommended than aerobic exercise like walking/jogging? My DH just started exercising again...he used to jog a lot before. Back then I think his testosterone was higher too, and we got pregnant fairly quickly, compared to now... so it makes me wonder.

Relaxedlevis - thanks for your perspective and all the information you shared! it's good to have a male point of view. My DH has just started taking Black Maca which I hear is good for sperm count and motility. We'll see! He's never been tested but I suspect his testosterone is low because of his low sex drive sometimes.

He's also bald! And has been losing his hair since his late twenties. The hair thing is really interesting. I was trying to google the connection between hair and testosterone yesterday but got conflicting results. One thing I read is that it's not the testosterone itself that is linked to baldness, but a compound linked to testosterone called DHT? I dont' know... i have to research it more. I really wonder if there's a link between baldness and low T...or whether it's the opposite way round...full head of hair and low T?

 

[Briss]

Zeri, hi, how is it going?

we did the genetic test today but it will take 5 to 15 working days to get the results so I am guessing next year. re exercise, that was surprising cos I previously heard that DH should do weight lifting to increase his testosterone i.e. body uses testosterone for building muscles so when you need more muscles there is a need for more testosterone and body starts producing more. This maybe true but the urologist was very clear that anything more than 30 min carries a risk of raising body temperature which is detrimental to sperm. I think when a man has lots of sperm it's probably less of an issue e.g. some 20-30 millions gets destroyed but he still has some 60-100 million left to play with compared to a man who only has 5-10 million

 

[Relaxedlevis]

Melly and Relaxedlevis, just going back to a full head of hair, I always thought it’s the other way around? I might be wrong but I thought that men with higher testosterone and higher sex drive (and presumably higher sperm count) are more likely to lose their hair at a younger age and men with full head of hair (like my DH) might have lower levels of testosterone and lower sex drive. Is this not the case?

This is exactly what I figure as well Briss! Studies haven't been able to necessarily link the two yet but my doctors have all thought it to be interesting. I had low sperm count and full head of hair so this led the doctors to tell me these things :

This can be natural because of missing the gene.
This can be medically helped along and therefore inhibiting testosterone.
This can be natural because my body isn't producing much testosterone and therefore much DHT. From what I understand - DHT is responsible for growing the reproductive organs in early years of development and then is responsible for doing MPB later in life if the mix of genes are correct. It is all very interesting to me.

My sex drive has been good but I hadn't been working to clear the pipes as often as they figured would effectively keep fresh sperm at the ready. Use it or lose it so to speak.

 

[melly2]

Melly and Relaxedlevis, just going back to a full head of hair, I always thought it’s the other way around? I might be wrong but I thought that men with higher testosterone and higher sex drive (and presumably higher sperm count) are more likely to lose their hair at a younger age and men with full head of hair (like my DH) might have lower levels of testosterone and lower sex drive. Is this not the case?

This is exactly what I figure as well Briss! Studies haven't been able to necessarily link the two yet but my doctors have all thought it to be interesting. I had low sperm count and full head of hair so this led the doctors to tell me these things :

This can be natural because of missing the gene.
This can be medically helped along and therefore inhibiting testosterone.
This can be natural because my body isn't producing much testosterone and therefore much DHT. From what I understand - DHT is responsible for growing the reproductive organs in early years of development and then is responsible for doing MPB later in life if the mix of genes are correct. It is all very interesting to me.

My sex drive has been good but I hadn't been working to clear the pipes as often as they figured would effectively keep fresh sperm at the ready. Use it or lose it so to speak.

This is interesting to me because my DH starting losing his hair in his late 20s even though none of the men in his family have this problem. His dad, brother, grandpas, uncles, nephews...they all have a full head of hair, and I've always told him that there must be something weird with him, since this is obviously not a genetic issue. His testosterone is low and hasn't been improving much. We're not sure if this a result of the cancer or genetic, because they never performed these tests prior, and of course, we weren't trying to get pregnant then.

Also, it must be noted that his FSH is going up. Apparently FSH, in men, is tied to the function of the testicles. Because his are going up, they think that his remaining testicle is now failing. The bigger questions is why. I keep asking the doctors, Why is this happening, this is not normal for someone who had a testicle removed, and all the doctor can say, "I'm not sure". Yeah...thanks for nothing. I wish doctors focused on the cause rather than jumping to random solution. How the hell can you treat something if you don't know what's causing the problem. It boggles my mind that our medical field appears to be so mechanical and lacks the ability to think outside the box.

 

[Kayotic]

Hi! New here, and I apologize in advance for the book I am about to write.

I'm 35, I have Behcets and PCOS. One tube is possibly blocked, and I had some scarring in my cervix they fixed, but not sure how long its fixed for.
Husband is 37. His 1st SA came back @ 29mil/ml but his motility was 20% and morph was 2%. He went back the next week and his count was 12.5mil/ml but his motility shot up to 36% and morph still 2%.

He is cutting back on caffeine, and I found a multivitamin that has the same ingredients as Fertilaid except it was missing coq-10, so I added that in.

We do have a 7 year old, but he was quite a surprise. We'd quit trying.
We've been trying for #2 pretty much since he was born.

We're on day 20 of clomid (good response, cd12 had 14mm and 21mm follicles) but I did not trigger and not sure I ovulated. I had a +OPK but my bbt never confirmed ovulation. We're going to try the 6 cycles of clomid or femara but after that we will have to move to IUI. IVF is not an option for us. We want another child but refuse to risk our first childs financial security for it as we're a single income family (I've been home since #1 was born)

Any advice aside from the vitamins he is taking?

 

[Relaxedlevis]

Hi! New here, and I apologize in advance for the book I am about to write.

I'm 35, I have Behcets and PCOS. One tube is possibly blocked, and I had some scarring in my cervix they fixed, but not sure how long its fixed for.
Husband is 37. His 1st SA came back @ 29mil/ml but his motility was 20% and morph was 2%. He went back the next week and his count was 12.5mil/ml but his motility shot up to 36% and morph still 2%.

He is cutting back on caffeine, and I found a multivitamin that has the same ingredients as Fertilaid except it was missing coq-10, so I added that in.

We do have a 7 year old, but he was quite a surprise. We'd quit trying.
We've been trying for #2 pretty much since he was born.

We're on day 20 of clomid (good response, cd12 had 14mm and 21mm follicles) but I did not trigger and not sure I ovulated. I had a +OPK but my bbt never confirmed ovulation. We're going to try the 6 cycles of clomid or femara but after that we will have to move to IUI. IVF is not an option for us. We want another child but refuse to risk our first childs financial security for it as we're a single income family (I've been home since #1 was born)

Any advice aside from the vitamins he is taking?

Hi there Kayotic - Aside from vitamins - he should make sure to drink water, possibly workout if he can, and have regular ejaculations. You could also get him wearing some anatomically correct underwear. Some suggestions would be Andrew Christian's Almost Naked or Obviously Brand.

 

[Briss]

Update: DH has had 6 months of hormonal (Tamoxifen) treatment and while his testosterone went up (the difference in his sex drive is very noticeable!) his SA is still quite poor, even lower than before the treatment: count below 5 million, 1% morphology. I just do not understand it. Dh has been so good in staying away from his beer but none of it made any improvement.

 

[smurfy]

Update: DH has had 6 months of hormonal (Tamoxifen) treatment and while his testosterone went up (the difference in his sex drive is very noticeable!) his SA is still quite poor, even lower than before the treatment: count below 5 million, 1% morphology. I just do not understand it. Dh has been so good in staying away from his beer but none of it made any improvement.

Totally feel for you Briss and understand how you feel as in similiar situations, the latest specialist we saw said there is little difference you can make when it could be genetic or in my husbands case age is defo a factor. We even said should he carry on taking the vitamins he said if it made us feel better to carry on so we have and agree if he is healthy ie not catching any bugs etc it will help. He also mentioned the drinking it shouldnt have that much of impact if you have underlying issues.

I would suggest going straight for IVF/ICSI now. whats your next steps, i personally can not carry on any more with clomid, vitamins etc. I am starting stimulation from tomorrow was given the all clear today to do so.

take care x

 

[Briss]

smurfy, The urologist thought that his numbers should be improving because his testosterone went up so no idea where all this testosterone has gone. My Dh is not doing body building or anything like that. where does it go if not for sperm production? we are waiting to hear from the urologist. We have also been waiting for the NHS funding for our IVF, am still to do a few things before we can get an answer if we are eligible, it's taking ages. being on CD2 is not helping either, I have been dreaming that DH's sperm has improved and we can get pregnant naturally, no such luck…

Good luck with your IVF. is this your first IVF?

 

[smurfy]

smurfy, The urologist thought that his numbers should be improving because his testosterone went up so no idea where all this testosterone has gone. My Dh is not doing body building or anything like that. where does it go if not for sperm production? we are waiting to hear from the urologist. We have also been waiting for the NHS funding for our IVF, am still to do a few things before we can get an answer if we are eligible, it's taking ages. being on CD2 is not helping either, I have been dreaming that DH's sperm has improved and we can get pregnant naturally, no such luck…

Good luck with your IVF. is this your first IVF?

yes it is awaiting game which is the worst part especially when it is the first few days of the cycle. This is our first IVF treatment and we are going private as the post code lottery has failed us, we started seeing the FS when i was 35 but did go for basic tests when I was 34. Never mind

 

[Briss]

Ladies, I found this unbelievably useful comparative table of male supps (https://menfertility.org/male-fertility-supplements-review/#toggle-id-1 click to review the detailed scoresheet). All the main ones are there so you can see and compare the ingredients and doses. I would not pay much attention to their grading system tbh I think this is just marketing for the "number 1" product. All of them require additional stuff to be added cos we definitely need higher doses but I still think wellman conception is a good option cost wise cos it gives you pretty much complete vitamin profile so you just need to add a few things to make it more potent.

 

[Pinkmoon_75]

Hi everyone,

I am having the worst time in all this TCC journey. I am sorry if this is too long!

I am 39 and my dh is 40. Despite our age, we are very healthy, eat very well, sport regularly but not in excess, normal weight, etc. We are TTC for one year now. Due to my age, after 6 months of trying with no success, we decided to go to the ginecologist. He look at me and diagnosed PCOS and gave me contraceptives to control it. I never understood this, since I am temping for one year now and using OPKs regularly, having ovulation sympoms, having my period etc, so I KNOW I am ovulating every month. Anyway, you have to do what you have to do, right?. SO I was taking those hormones for 3 months, and of course nothing changed. Then we decided to see the urologist and the first SC of my DH showed around 24mil/ml, 1%anomalies, 80%alive, motility 60%. Although it was in the borderline of numbers, the doctor didn't seem too worried. They also found a bacterie, which according to the doctor, explained the low sperm numbers, so he decided to treat my DH with antibiotics. So we continue with our BD every month and nothing happened. We decided to move to a specialist in reproduction, who lives in another city (6hrs of road from home). He asked all our previous exams excepting the SC, which had to be taken at the clinic the same day of the appointment. Results: my hormones were alright (except a high amount in prolactine, thanks to the previous hormone treatment!), my tubes are clear, and, surprise, no PCOS!!!! (I was missdiagnosed!), no endometriosis, regular ovulation, low FSH, etc. But the results of my husband, omg, so bad! 1 mil/ml, 99% anomalies, 20% alive! (no bacteries tho) What the heck! The doctor was so rude also, he looked at us and said: "You are basically infertile, don't even try next month, there is no way you can be pregnant naturally, the only way for you is IVF, but Im not so sure, because the numbers are really, really bad". I asked why the results of DH are so different when compared to the last exam (4months ago). So he said it could be varicocele or a tumor in DH! It was without doubt the worst day of our lifes. DH and I got out of that place crying, and totally devastated. AND, we still needed to do the ultrason to discard any tumor, so scary!. Which we did and thanks god everything was good in his testicles!

We still don't know what is the cause of the problem, but certainly it explains why I haven't got pregnant. My DH had undescendent testicles when he was a baby, and was corrected by surgery at 4-5 yo. I read that this opp needs to be done before 1yo, otherwise the tissue can be damage. I also read in a very reputable journal that 70% of guys with undescendent testicles have fertility issues. Although the doctor didn't even ask for DH's clinical story, I think it could be a reason.

We are both sad and worried. I don't have any problem to go through IVF, we can afford the costs, and we are willing to do whatever is needed to have our first baby. I just will feel devastated if it doesn't work. DH is taking a lot of supplements, FertilAid, folic acid, etc.- He also changed his sleeping habits, eating better, working out (as usual). He doesnt (and never has) smoke or drink. We will try another SC in september (you need at least 3 to declare that a man is infertile), but with such bad numbers, I don't know if I should keep my hopes up.

Oh, and despite of doctor's advices, we are still , and I am in my 5dpo. you never know, we only need one, right?


Thanks for reading me . Feeling pretty alone right now.

 

[Pinkmoon_75]

Hahaha, I meant poor sperm COUNT!