New to this board and trying to hold it together

lnicolls · #1 March 2nd, 2009, 08:42 AM

I was really hoping not to have to join this board but I guess I should make myself at home..... I haven't been posting on the other boards much as of late but I lurk pretty much daily. I am Lisa (29) and my dh is Chris (37). We've been ttc for almost a year and finally went in to have infertility testing done. I knew that I had some issues because of a short luteal phase (which my test results say is due to low progesterone) so I figured we would finish our testing and then they would put me on clomid and progesterone and we would get pregnant within a few months. Looks like I was wrong - our worst fears have come true.

My DH's SA results just came back and they aren't good - actually, I don't think they could be much worse. His count was only .004 m/ml (I believe that works out to 4,000 per ml) and his motility was 0%. I'm devastated. I never thought this journey would be this difficult. I'm just so worried now that it will never happen for us. I'm going to have a talk with dh tonight (I already called to give him the news and I think he took it pretty hard). I'm wondering what success people have had with raising their dh's sperm counts. My husband drinks a fair amount and is somewhat overweight. I'm going to try to get him to cut out alcohol completely and focus more on his weight loss (we started to go to the gym a month ago).

Is there hope for us? I'm just sitting here at work trying not to fall apart right now.

Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated. I look forward to getting to know everyone here.

Brandiwine77 · #2 March 2nd, 2009, 10:27 AM

Hi Lisa and welcome

I'm Brandi, one of your co-hosts. I know the difficulty of dealing with MFI. For some reason it has a huge stigma attached to it. I applaud you for having the courage to join us

There are so many reasons for your DH's SA. My opinion to you would be to have DH cut out the alcohol, continue working out, and make an appointment for a urologist ASAP. It could be something causing his results that can be easily fixed with a surgical procedure or meds. But definitely don't give up hope! I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you stick around with us. We have a great bunch of girls who are very encouraging and knowledgeable.

txjovigal · #3 March 2nd, 2009, 10:53 AM

and

; I am Esmy, your other co-host. We have a great support group here.

tasjaanalee · #4 March 2nd, 2009, 11:30 AM

Lisa!

I definitely second what our lovely co-hosts have said. But also, I (and I think most of us) completely understand how blindsided MFI can make you feel. I for one was sure the problem lied with me, only to be hit with DH's issues out of the blue. Just keep in mind that everyone here is happy to support eachother, and we're like a little MFI family... we all help eachother to keep hope alive and hang on when our energy begins to flag.

Just hang on, and things will start looking up! :biggrin:

richmond_girl · #5 March 2nd, 2009, 07:25 PM

Just wanted to pop in real quick and say don't give up. I know it seems like things are hopeless right now but they are not! Like the ladies above said, there is a TON of stuff that you, your DH, and your doctors can do to get you pregnant. I think it's a good idea to start the lifestyle changes (vitamins, good diet, etc) but given the very low counts and the 0% motility you probably need to see a urologist asap. Most likely there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed and the sooner you deal with it the better your chances of getting a BFP.

I am living proof that you CAN get pregnant even with very severe MFI. My DH's SA was much, much worse than yours!! So don't give up... let yourself mourn the diagnosis (it's very normal to feel like something was stolen from you), educate yourself on the issues, consult with experts, and most of all, have faith. Miracles can and do happen.

Best of luck to you!!

lnicolls · #6 March 3rd, 2009, 01:32 PM

Thank you all so much for the encouraging words. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner but about half an hour after receiving DH's results I got a call from my mom that my uncle passed away. Needless to say, yesterday was a really difficult day for me. I'm glad to hear that there is hope. I spoke with the nurse yesterday and they are going to do some bloodwork on DH later this week and also have him repeat his SA to make sure there wasn't a mistake (not getting my hopes up). I'm trying to stay positive and agree that the best thing is to arm myself with all the information I can. I'm sure I'll have more questions as things progress. Once again, thank you very much for the warm welcome since this can be difficult to discuss with people. I really appreciate it.

#7 March 4th, 2009, 07:33 PM

Hi everyone, I think I may have fianally found somewhere on here where I may fit. this is all new to me and I have had no clue where to start. I know how u are feeling lisa my husbands SA is also 0. Here is my story. My name is Jenny 28 and my DH 43. as far as I know I am fine but my husband had a vasectomy and about nine months ago he has a reversal. Things were going great his SA were going great and everything was increasing and decreasing. we ended up Pregnant in OCT and M/C at 7 weeks. Since then he has been on and off anti inflammatories until now we have gotten to SA with a 0 result. We were both devistated and have talked it over with each other and some docs. Looks like we are going to look into IVF. We have a consult on the 19th, not really sure if we have any other options unless he goes back in for another reversal. Well thats my situation and I look forward to meeting some new friends and learning a little more, also the support would be great noone seems to know what I am going through.

~~*Ashley*~~ · #8 March 6th, 2009, 12:01 PM

Welcome to the board..I'm ashley(22) and calvin(25) his sperm analysis results said there were not enough sperm to count, none in the sample...i cant even explain how devastated we were! at first i thought we would never have children..but with the help of the ladies on this board...talking to a urologist, etc. We are (crosses fingers) on our way to figuring out what the problem is and getting that bfp!! DOn't lose hope!! This board really helps! I look forward to getting to know you and congratulating you on that bfp

~April04~ · #9 March 6th, 2009, 09:06 PM

Welcome! I'm April (22) married to Jeff (23). We've been TTC since Nov 2007 and our doing our first IVF w/ ICSI next month.

Hoosier Kitty · #10 March 8th, 2009, 06:55 PM

welcome to the board.

my dh had bad sa result as well... 8.2 mil with no motility. we are looking into IVF when time is right.

BeckyM · #11 March 9th, 2009, 06:08 AM

Hello & Welcome! I'm Becky (34), DH is Tony (35). We've been TTC since Dec 2007 and found out recently DH has a genetic disorder and no sperm. We're looking into using donor sperm. These ladies here are very supportive & knowledgeable. I hope you feel right at home here!!!

*babylove* · #12 March 9th, 2009, 06:46 AM

welcome!

lnicolls · #13 March 9th, 2009, 08:05 AM

Thanks again for the warm welcome. DH had his blood work and another SA done last Friday. Deep down I was really hoping that the first SA was a mistake but not such luck. The new one said he had a count of .007 (7,000 per ml) but at least this time his motility was somewhat better (inly 50% immotile, with 25% rapid and 25% slow). His blood tests were all normal.

We have an appointment to see the RE next week.

My question is - can levels this low be helped by cutting out alcohol and changing his diet or are they so bad that those kind of changes won't help? I don't want to make him change everything about his lifestyle if it won't make a difference anyway.

Also, for those of you facing similar problems - are we basically looking at IVF with ICSI? Most of my research seems to suggest that IUI and regular IVF aren't an option because his counts are so low. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm still just trying not to lose my mind as I NEVER thought we would be dealing with something like this. Whoever said you need to grieve is definitely right on - I've been feeling like I lost a loved one. Hopefully the RE will give us some hope as I'm not sure I can cope with the possibility that we won't be able to have children as its all I've ever wanted.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I had done so much research regarding possible causes of our infertility but never even opened the chapter on male factors.

lnicolls · #14 March 9th, 2009, 08:05 AM

Thanks again for the warm welcome. DH had his blood work and another SA done last Friday. Deep down I was really hoping that the first SA was a mistake but not such luck. The new one said he had a count of .007 (7,000 per ml) but at least this time his motility was somewhat better (inly 50% immotile, with 25% rapid and 25% slow). His blood tests were all normal.

We have an appointment to see the RE next week.

My question is - can levels this low be helped by cutting out alcohol and changing his diet or are they so bad that those kind of changes won't help? I don't want to make him change everything about his lifestyle if it won't make a difference anyway.

Also, for those of you facing similar problems - are we basically looking at IVF with ICSI? Most of my research seems to suggest that IUI and regular IVF aren't an option because his counts are so low. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm still just trying not to lose my mind as I NEVER thought we would be dealing with something like this. Whoever said you need to grieve is definitely right on - I've been feeling like I lost a loved one. Hopefully the RE will give us some hope as I'm not sure I can cope with the possibility that we won't be able to have children as its all I've ever wanted.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I had done so much research regarding possible causes of our infertility but never even opened the chapter on male factors.

~April04~ · #15 March 9th, 2009, 08:12 AM

With low counts and low motility your best bet would be to go straight to IVF w/ ICSI.. You could try the vitamin/lifestyle change route, but my honest opinion is with counts that low it's not going to make a drastic enough change, kwim?

We went the IUI route and my DH's count was only 357,000 for the first and 950,000 for the second (post wash).. so needless to say our chances of it working were only like 2%. We're moving onto our first IVF w/ ICSI next month.

Good Luck!

Brandiwine77 · #16 March 9th, 2009, 08:13 AM

Lisa, I'm sorry that you didn't get the results you were praying for with the repeat SA. But I am glad that there was some improvement. Levels can be helped with diet, no booze, and taking vitamins, but how much just really depends on the person. I would definitely find out the underlying cause of why his counts are so low. It could be fixable, like a varicocele, which is a varicose vein in testicle, which reduces count. Retrograde ejaculation, where the semen goes into the bladder, could be the problem, which is fixable. I would definitely recommend finding out if fixable vs non-fixable, such as genetic issues, before you make any future plans regarding IVF.

4eyes · #17 March 12th, 2009, 02:06 PM

I just wanted to say welcome also. I know we all here know how you feel and how devastating the news is to hear that there is a problem. I think it's really hard on our guys also because they feel like it's such a reflection of their manhood and that is so not true!! Anyway just wanted to welcome you!