Varicocele anyone?

[Regalpeas]

Dreaminghopin I know how you feel same exact happen to us. FS was sure there was one Varicocele and thought there was another only to come back none.

We've had our fair share of drs and I too felt hopeless but I believe in the end it will work out. As someone once said all you need is a sperm and an egg. I also say I believe in the power of nature. The unthinkable is sure to occur with such variation.

Hope the spotting gets better and everything's sorted out.

Hang in there!

Do you have a journal? I would like to follow your progress as we have a few similar things going on?

ttys

 

[dreaminghopin]

Thanks regal. Don't have a jounal (yet lol).

Evening ladies

Just wanted to share dh's latest sperm results (first report 15th feb, second report 11th april) Big improvements with count and motility although morphology has reduced.*

Vol 3 mls now 2.7mls (normal 2mls)
Concentration: 14 million ml to 34 ml
Rapid progressive 17% to 46%
morphology 5% to 2%

DH plays a lot of sport, doesnt smoke. The last 2 months he has been taken wellmans, macca, zinc and vit c. He has changed to boxers and stopped drinking tea / coffee. So ladies there does seem to be plenty we can do.*

Concerned that morphology has reduced and hope vitamins aren't having a detrimental affect. Otherwise pretty happy. Other thing that might have made a difference was that sperm was tested 50 mins after collection, previous occasions was 75 mins after collection.*

 

[Regalpeas]

Awesome! Glad there's been improvement for you guys Morphology is such a stinker isn't it? My dh is taking zinc now but will switch to a full fledged fertility vitamin. I hope it doesn't affect morphology negatively.

Is there anything out there that claims to help morphology? We have issue with it as well.

Also you can follow me at my journal if you'd like (in siggy). If you ever get one I'll be sure to stalk as well. Otherwise there's always this thread.

 

[Melbram]

Draminghopin - great news on count going up - vits must be doing something! I cant imagine them having a negative effect. What types of sports does your DH do - anything that is a contact sport e.g. rugby isnt good for the swimmers because of all the banging about he he

 

[Mrsn1980]

Hi ladies - I was wondering if I could join your thread. My DH had been diagnosed with bilateral varicoceles by the urologist after 2 very poor sperm analysis. 1st was count <2 million and motility 5% and the second 6 weeks later was count <2 million and 10% motility (morphology not tested due to low count). He has seen a urologist who examined him and sent him for a scan. We are now waiting to go back to see the urologist in a couple in a weeks to discuss the procedure to remove these. <p> as my DH went to the scan alone and didn't ask any questions at all, we don't have any idea what they think so will just have to wait until our next appt to discuss!!! <p> I would really appreciate joining your thread for some support as it doesn't look like there's many people having this op / problem. We're happy to go ahead with the op of they think he needs it despite conflicting evidence we,ve read. Can anyone give me any idea what to expect from the op...recovery times etc?? Many thanks, mrs n xxxx

 

[Regalpeas]

Welcome Mrsn1980!

Sorry I don't have experience with the operation as my dh was told that he didn't have Varicocele after all, but docs going to f/u again as he believes he does. It's kind of a weird mess in that way.

However, maybe someone else here can help better .Also when we were waiting for results I did google to find some other information. Maybe you can do that if you haven't already. Or you can give the doctor a ring before visit and ask for general information.

Hope this helps and welcome again!

 

[Our Secret]

Hi Mrsn1980,

We've been TTC for 18 months. 3 semen analyses conducted with very poor results - only a few live sperm in each sample (always makes me giggle when people talk about low sperm counts in the millions as we are so far off that). Recommended we get hubby checked and just found out he has a large veins on testicles which are upsetting things down there. We were thinking about going straight to ISCI but if there is the chance of surgery helping I think we should give it a go, although hubby is understandably nervous. He is due to go back to discuss next steps in a couple of weeks.

It would be lovely to support each other at this time and update on how we are getting on x

 

[Our Secret]

PS - I've just subscribed to this thread so I know when people are updating...

 

[No Doubt]

Hi ladies, hope you don't mind me joining. My hubs may have this. He saw a urologist and was told that the doc can feel the vein, but said it wasn't significant?!?!? So he's supposed to have it x-rayed, or however they look at veines and tissues in a couple of weeks. First sa was 23mil, then 13mil, then we did 2 iuis. First was 2mil, then 5mil. But with both iui's we'd bded the day before...the few days prior with the first iui. No one told us not to, so we were going at like rabbits like we normally did. It seems like when we don't bd his count is higher and the more we bd the lower it gets. I understand that, but I just wish it was already 100mil and then went to 75mil or something...lol.

I don't want there to be an issue, but I kind of wish there was so we had a diagnosis that we could fix. I have pcos and an underactive thyroid. I O on my own and did 9 months of clomid where I was DEFINATELY Oing and producing several mature follies...nothing. My thyroid has been regulated for a few years and I've lost 50lbs in the process yet still no baby. So I'm pretty much regulated and now we have to get the hubbs there. Frustrating...if it's not one thing it's another.

But the doc did say there's basically a 50/50 chance of the surgery working and that it takes about 3 months to see any improvements. Right now we are taking a break from the docs and meds while he's being looked at and now if we do the surgery it will be another 3 month wait. But I will say I'm kind of enjoying the "medical" break. Takes a lot of the stress and pressure off.

My fs recommended ivf or donor sperm. Have any of you ever thought about donor sperm or had your doc recommend it?

 

[Our Secret]

Hi no doubt, sounds like you have lots more sperm to play with than us and donor sperm has not even been mentioned. I think our options are isci with frozen and fresh sperm, possibly surgical sperm retrieval and/or surgery for confirmed vein problem. Hope this helps x

 

[dreaminghopin]

Draminghopin - great news on count going up - vits must be doing something! I cant imagine them having a negative effect. What types of sports does your DH do - anything that is a contact sport e.g. rugby isnt good for the swimmers because of all the banging about he he

Sorry didn't realise you had asked me this. He plays football (soccer) and does a lot of cardio. He has recently just bought a bike so no pleased at all. I have told him that he can go out cycling after he gets me preggers. x

 

[teako22]

My husband had vericocele surgery in december and then was tested again in may. His numbers went from very low to the high side of normal. Our urologist told us that the surgery may or may not fix it. It just depended if that was what was the cause.

 

[Sexki11en]

Hi Guys,

Update from me. Well finally after more than 9 months, we got our appointment with the Urologist and what a fab chap he was! One of the few in the UK who believes that the surgery works. He didn't promise us anything but said if he was in our situation, he'd want to know that he'd done everything he could so agreed to do the op on the NHS!

Hubby had the op a little over 3 weeks ago. Left varicocele ligation, which involved keyhole just below the kidney. 2 clamps were applied to the offending vein and it was then snipped. Simple. Hubby was in a little discomfort for a couple of days, but had the day of the op off work and the following day. By the third day he went back to work. We were able to BD again 2.5 weeks after the op.

There's a huge network of capilliaries which after around 3 months, the bloodflow will find a new way round, easing the problem. There's then a min 3 months whilst new sperm is produced so we *should* see improvements between April and July next year (if indeed we see any).

We're not pinning our hopes on this - we're now 38 months ttc with no success on our own and this is our last hope.

I also have hubby on a cocktail of the following:
Macca 2000mg day
Royal Jelly 1200mg
Folic Acid 400ug
Reservatrol 200mg
Vit E 1000iu
Vit C 1g
Zinc 23mg
L Argenine

And I take:
Macca 2000mg day
Vitex (Agnus Castus) 900 &#8211; 1000mg day
Royal Jelly
L Arginine
Primrose Oil menstruation to ovulation only
Peppermint oil
Pregnacare

Fingers crossed this works for us. We'll have hubby take another SA around April to see if any improvement. Until then we're back to the SMEP!

**Edited to add, Hubby's varicoceles were grade 2.

 

[Melbram]

Seki11 glad to hear the op went well - FX that you see a great improvements and hopefully a BFP to follow

 

[dreaminghopin]

Fingers crossed and well done on getting surgery on the Nhs. My hubby's Gp and urologist both acknowledged that he had a significant varicolcele however a scan confirmed it was negligible. My dh tried to argue that the lady had scanned the wrong part but we were told there was no point having a scan as they wouldn't operate anyway. (hmm so why send him for a scan in the first place).
We then had a private consultation who advised us that the varicocele may be reason for low morphology (morph tended to be about 1-5%, his count was borderline but he did manage 33 million when he abstained for 5 days). The specialist told us that this would have been a fluke and every other day was best. The one month we didn't listen to him and abstained I got my bfp and cautiously 6 weeks pregnant. Not sure whether to announce that and I hope it's not insensitive. I am guessing u and your dh have tried every trick in the book but for us abstinence and not smep may have helped.
Good luck and I really hope the surgery has been successful xxx

 

[Sexki11en]

Well, last update from us for a while. Saw the surgeon for follow up yesterday and he said the varicocele has already shrunk and that's the best result we could have hoped for. So now we wait.......

 

[missy123]

17 months after surgery and still nothing for us x

 

[dreaminghopin]

Hope your prayers are answered soon ladies xx

 

[Sexki11en]

Well, we have our follow up SA in just over 4 weeks. It will be almost 6 months post surgery, so if there isn't any imporovement by then, it's unlikely there ever will be!

I'll update once we know.

SK x

 

[Sexki11en]

No improvement for us i'm afraid. It's 8 months post op so not likely to be any changes now.

Oh well, on to round 3 of ICSI in a few weeks......

SK x