Male anesthesia exposure and fetility issues

[haleyelianasmom]

Do any of you know of any good resources on this topic? I know I've read that those exposed to anesthesia are more likely to have fertility issues, but I'd like to have more solid information on which anesthesia materials and what sort of fertility problems it causes. I ask because we just lost a pregnancy and my husband is a veterinarian, so he's exposed to anesthesia daily. Plus, his clinic is horrible about keeping up with safety standards. Argh. Any info or article would be appreciated!

[haleyelianasmom]

Found one thing: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16914465

[marinak1977]

Hmmm... I heard that anesthesia usually causes low sperm counts and and reduces motility. So not sure if it would contribute to m/c as much as make it harder to conceive. Although there is also a correlation between men with low sperm counts and m/cs in their partners. Not sure what that means though. I'd say you can have your DH have a sperm analysis done. That may give you some insight as to what goes on in his body. We're dealing with borderline MFI (low count and motility) but I think overall it just prevented us from conceiving easily, I am not sure if it was a factor in the m/c.
Good luck!

[haleyelianasmom]

Yes, that's true, it could just contribute to ease of conception vs m/c. I had just read the link between sperm abnormalities and miscarriage, like you mentioned. We conceived very easily. Honestly, I think we dtd a week before my temperature spike (I was charting). So maybe this wasn't a factor for us. Just going through the possibilities. My husband said he's exposed to lots of isoflurane there. Not healthy.

Oh, how do you go about getting a sperm analysis? Does a normal OB/Gyn do that?

[marinak1977]

My hubby asked his primary doctor for a referral to a male fertility clinic, where they did the analysis. So maybe you can start there. Also, I think urologists and fertility specialists in general can do it. They will do a full analysis - count, morphology, motility etc...
Hope this helps.
For us it seems that low sperm count was a huge factor in conceiving. I think the lower the count the less time viable sperm can exist in the uterus, so when I started charting and we really nailed the ovulation we got pregnant. I did m/c at 5 weeks though. Hopefully next time I'll get a sticky BFP