Undescended testicles / fertility issues

[Briss]

melissaelaine, thanks! My DH does not remember anything so I guess I will just have to get down there and investigate if there are any scars ...

 

[NikkiR143]

ladies, sorry for being silly but I have to ask, how do you know that your DH had undescended testicles? I asked my DH but he does not know and he has very bad relationships with his mother so he is not going to ask her. His count was never above 11-12 million and I wonder what's causing it.

My DH must've been old enough as well, because he remembers too. And there's also a scar. But the scary part is when it didn't drop, they never went back in to remove it from his abdomen. So it's still in there! Only on the right side though. His left testicle was normal.

Since his count is low what has the doctor recommended?

 

[Briss]

I could not make my DH to go to urologist, our FS would not even refer him to urologist she just said that we should do IVf asap

 

[xxshellsxx]

Hi, I can't give you a specific answer and i don't want to worry you as everything may be fine, and my previous situation was slightly different in that my Ex never had is undecended testicle brought down and had to have it removed as it wasn't til we met that i pointed out our dangerous it was at the risk of testicular cancer and not being ale to check it!

We had started trying before he had it removed and the specialist said it wouldn't affect fertility, once we started having tests done it turned out he was almost sterile- but i'll never know if it was down to the undecended testicle the surgery or weather he had always been.

Getting a SA will be the only way to give a definite answer sorry x

Nicole this was my my experience ^^^^^ - he didn't have his removed from his abdomen until he was age 30/31! I hope you have a better outcome than this x

 

[star25]

My dh vaguely remembered but his mum always told him anyway coz dh and his brother both had the same and they were joking about it, not funny as we didnt know it could affect sperm at the time, turned out ok in the end, just need to get a bfp now!

 

[NikkiR143]

Hi, I can't give you a specific answer and i don't want to worry you as everything may be fine, and my previous situation was slightly different in that my Ex never had is undecended testicle brought down and had to have it removed as it wasn't til we met that i pointed out our dangerous it was at the risk of testicular cancer and not being ale to check it!

We had started trying before he had it removed and the specialist said it wouldn't affect fertility, once we started having tests done it turned out he was almost sterile- but i'll never know if it was down to the undecended testicle the surgery or weather he had always been.

Getting a SA will be the only way to give a definite answer sorry x

Nicole this was my my experience ^^^^^ - he didn't have his removed from his abdomen until he was age 30/31! I hope you have a better outcome than this x

Was it just one testicle or both? I'm hoping since he has one good testicle that he's still producing some sperm. This was your ex you're talking about? So you never went through with IVF for the little amount of sperm he did have?

 

[xxshellsxx]

Yes my Ex - He had 1 normal testicle and 1 undecended. we were on the ICSI with TESE waiting list and had no further investigations as there was no chance of it ever happening naturally for us (I had to be age 30 in our pct to get ICSI) and our relationship broke down after 9 years, before we reached the top of the list. He has since married and adopted a child x

Like i say i have no idea if this was in anyway related to the undecended testicle or the surgery x

 

[Briss]

I could not find any scars but then it's so wrinkly down there, really hard to tell. So I practically begged my DH to talk to his mum about it and she said he did not have undescended testicles issues but he did have measles. maybe that's the reason for his low sperm count?

 

[TTCabundle]

ladies, sorry for being silly but I have to ask, how do you know that your DH had undescended testicles? I asked my DH but he does not know and he has very bad relationships with his mother so he is not going to ask her. His count was never above 11-12 million and I wonder what's causing it.

My DH must've been old enough as well, because he remembers too. And there's also a scar. But the scary part is when it didn't drop, they never went back in to remove it from his abdomen. So it's still in there! Only on the right side though. His left testicle was normal.

Since his count is low what has the doctor recommended?

My OH has exactly the same problem! He had the sugery to correct it as a baby but it still didn't drop so its still up there! His other one works normally but I'm still afraid that this is going to be a problem. x

 

[NikkiR143]

ladies, sorry for being silly but I have to ask, how do you know that your DH had undescended testicles? I asked my DH but he does not know and he has very bad relationships with his mother so he is not going to ask her. His count was never above 11-12 million and I wonder what's causing it.

My DH must've been old enough as well, because he remembers too. And there's also a scar. But the scary part is when it didn't drop, they never went back in to remove it from his abdomen. So it's still in there! Only on the right side though. His left testicle was normal.

Since his count is low what has the doctor recommended?

My OH has exactly the same problem! He had the sugery to correct it as a baby but it still didn't drop so its still up there! His other one works normally but I'm still afraid that this is going to be a problem. x

Really? Ugh...I sometimes feel angry that his mother never took him back to get it removed. I think it raises his chances of developing testicular cancer with it still in his abdomen.

My DH's left testicle works normally too, I think. However, it's quite large! Especially when it stands up! It almost looks swollen, but he said there's no pain. it's always been like this. When he lays down though, especially in the morning, it's totally normal size. Sorry for all the details, but he's never been to the doctor about it and I'm afraid something is wrong. His ejaculation is also quite clear and watery- which makes me believe he's definitely low sperm count.

We've been trying for weeks to get him into the lab for a sperm count but the lab is only open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and he works weekdays and we can't afford for him to take time off right now. Soon though, hopefully! So we can figure this out!

 

[whigfield]

My OH had the same thing and was actually told that one of his testicles had died and was no longer functioning (after he had surgery and it shot back up, requiring another surgery) - however he's had two SAs so far and both have been normal, so it doesn't seem to have affected him like that.

A SA is definitely the way forward. Wishing you both luck.

 

[TTCabundle]

ladies, sorry for being silly but I have to ask, how do you know that your DH had undescended testicles? I asked my DH but he does not know and he has very bad relationships with his mother so he is not going to ask her. His count was never above 11-12 million and I wonder what's causing it.

My DH must've been old enough as well, because he remembers too. And there's also a scar. But the scary part is when it didn't drop, they never went back in to remove it from his abdomen. So it's still in there! Only on the right side though. His left testicle was normal.

Since his count is low what has the doctor recommended?

My OH has exactly the same problem! He had the sugery to correct it as a baby but it still didn't drop so its still up there! His other one works normally but I'm still afraid that this is going to be a problem. x

Really? Ugh...I sometimes feel angry that his mother never took him back to get it removed. I think it raises his chances of developing testicular cancer with it still in his abdomen.

My DH's left testicle works normally too, I think. However, it's quite large! Especially when it stands up! It almost looks swollen, but he said there's no pain. it's always been like this. When he lays down though, especially in the morning, it's totally normal size. Sorry for all the details, but he's never been to the doctor about it and I'm afraid something is wrong. His ejaculation is also quite clear and watery- which makes me believe he's definitely low sperm count.

We've been trying for weeks to get him into the lab for a sperm count but the lab is only open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and he works weekdays and we can't afford for him to take time off right now. Soon though, hopefully! So we can figure this out!

I get angry too that his mother never bothered to take him back, especially considering the risk! My OH says the undescended one causes him slight pain occasionaly which leads me to beleieve there is a problem there. I just hope there isn't a problem with the "working" one. My OH's is a bit clear and watery too but with thick white bits, sorry for tmi haha! Now I just need to convince him to see a doctor! x

 

[rdleela]

Just a quick post for anyone looking for info, my DH had the surgery as a young child, and because of years of scar tissue building up, we've become infertile (azoospermia - zero sperm). DH had a surgery last year to try to bypass all the scarring, and it worked! We now have an average of 4 million motile sperm. BUT it's not enough for natural pregnancy, so we are now doing IVF/ICSI. My journal in my siggy is a great resource, or PM me with questions! Best of luck, all!

 

[NikkiR143]

Component Standard Range Your Value
Collection time, semen 0925
Semen volume >=2.0 mL 1.5
SEMEN, TIME READ 1015
Liquefaction, semen NO
SPERM AGGLUTINATION 3+
Spermatozoa, rapid % >=25 SEE NOTE
Interpretation SEE NOTE
SPERM COUNT, SEMEN TND

This was my husband's sperm analysis results. I can't click on anything for "see note" on the kaiser website, so I'm not sure what that is referring to. TND I think stands for test not done. Why, because no sperm was found? I'm dreading hearing the results. I'm confused and impatient and I think his doctor is out of town this week, so we have to wait till next week to get any answers.

 

[LadyPatience]

Hello

I'm new to this forum but found the thread through a google search as i've just found out that my husband had this op on both his testicles when he was 9... and now I'm really scared. He did a SA yesterday so we should get some results tomorrow. We've been NTNP for about a year, and TTC properly for a few months, though my erratic cycles have made it "fun" trying to BD around the right time.

At the moment I'm full of questions. Why didnt our GP know this from his records and flag it up when I went to him about my concerns, and why the hell didn't his parents bring it up with him at some point in adulthood? They claim that the doctor doing the op never mentioned a thing... has anyone else had this experience?

The thought of a doc operating on a boy's testes and not bringing up the issue of fertility leaves me totally speechless!

LPX

 

[Hopeful Cat]

Hi ladypatience

Sorry to here of ur frustration. My hubby had his surgery around the sam time and it resulted in azoospermia. Amazingly though we were able to find sperm with an mTese. Still trying for our rainbow baby though.

I hope ur sa results come back with something positive. Were both testicles undescended?

Ive often thought about the irresponsible doctors that let my hubby go 9ish yrs without surgery. Crazy that these ppl operate.

I hope my msg at least brings u comfort that ur not alone xx

 

[LadyPatience]

Hi!

I'm so sorry - I've just read your story and it sounds very hard.

Is an mtese extraction from the testes, and will you then try ICSI or IUI? I'm only just learning about all this stuff in case the news is bad.

We hope to get our results very soon. It's so frightening.

LPX

 

[LadyPatience]

Just read your signature properly - good luck in Feb xxx

Do you know if it was the operation happening so late that caused to azoospermia, or that the op was performed badly? I'm clutching at straws here I know.

 

[NikkiR143]

Just a quick post for anyone looking for info, my DH had the surgery as a young child, and because of years of scar tissue building up, we've become infertile (azoospermia - zero sperm). DH had a surgery last year to try to bypass all the scarring, and it worked! We now have an average of 4 million motile sperm. BUT it's not enough for natural pregnancy, so we are now doing IVF/ICSI. My journal in my siggy is a great resource, or PM me with questions! Best of luck, all!

Hi Rdlella,

I forget if I asked you this already- but regarding your husband's testicular biopsy: did the doctor say the biopsy was a risky surgery? I know this is how they found out your DH has obstructive azoospermia. Did the urologist say that the biopsy could lower sperm count even more (should they find any in the testicle)? What risks were involved with the biopsy?

- Nicole

 

[Hopeful Cat]

Just read your signature properly - good luck in Feb xxx

Do you know if it was the operation happening so late that caused to azoospermia, or that the op was performed badly? I'm clutching at straws here I know.

hey LadyPatience, thanks im just starting my next cycle today so im excited...hoping this is the one that works.

Im not trying to scare u or upset u and I have my fingers crossed for u both. We were told that the azoospermia was most likely due to the length of time before they were surgically dropped. The damage gets worse after 3 yrs old. They also told us we would likely not find sperm after we were diagnosed as sertoli-cell only...but we did. So shows what they know. Mtese is a microsurgical biopse of the testes. For us that was he only option to find sperm. We went in with less than 10% chance of finding sperm. We found 11 sperm and got 4 embryos fom that.

But dont jump to conclusions yet. Wait till u get results of ur sperm analysis. Im here if u wqnt any info but im so hoping u get better news than we did.