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[JackiD]

Hi ~ I've been lurking on and off for quite a while trying to gather some information. I finally got up the guts to contact Dr to get my DH's semen analysis faxed to me. It's looking hopeless to me, but I'd like your honest opinions....

We have been ttc for almost 7 yrs - no pregnancies. I have a 12 yr old dd from a previous relationship. DH hasn't been involved in any pregnancies. DH has had 3 semen analysis' done. It seems he is low on everything. Here are the results

2/13/04
volume - .5ml
sperm count - QNS (???)
Motility - 0%
Morphology - 5%

11/23/04
Volume - 1.0 ml
Sperm count - 7.5 million/ml
Motility - 2%
Morphology - 23%

12/23/05
FSH - 8.3 MIU/ml
LH - 5.8 mlU/ml
free Testosterone - 224 pg/ml
Estradiol - 42 pg/ml
Prolactin - 8.0 ng/ml

2/10/05
volume - .1cc
Sperm Count - 8.185 million/ml
Motility - 5%
Strict Morphology - 5%

TIA for any help figuring this all out. I think when the Dr called me to give me the reults by phone I was in a state of shock and didn't understand what he was saying...

~Jacki

[JackiD]

Also, the report says "discussed both IUI and IVF..." What is IUI?

[shawnicy]

An IUI is inner-uterine insemination. Or artificial insemination. I have had them done and they aren't normally painful at all. They "wash" the sperm to take out the bad ones and only put the best of the best up there. Since they put them in the uterus they don't have to travel far. They are already past the hard part and you also don't have to worry about you having enough fertile cervical fluid/mucus. It is a good option to try (and less expensive) before trying IVF. You might want to ask for the success rates for your situation for both IUI and IVF to determine what would be a better use of your money. Kind of weigh the options.
I am on a injection/IUI cycle and we don't have the money to do IVF. My insurance covers IUIs and my meds so if this doesn't work by December then we have to quit.
Anyway good luck to you!
Shawnicy

[JackiD]

Thanks Shawnicy! Good luck to you too! We don't have the money for IVF either. I think these test results mean there is no way possible for a natural conception...

[SharonAnne]

Hey Jacki, just wanted to give you some s (and bump your thread up :LOL)

Love you!

[wifeandmom]

I am so sorry you have received such poor results.

After going through infertility tx ourselves, the first thing that stands out in his results to me is the volume. This is the total amount of semen present for them to sample, and his is very, very, very low. I'd question what can cause that since I've never had reason to investigate that issue myself.

Even if his volume was 'normal' though (which is 3-5ml I believe), his other numbers are not good at all. I believe for IUI they like to see a MINIMUM of 20 million sperm. With his results, he'd have to have AT LEAST 3cc (same as 3ml) to get over the 20 million hump. Since his are between .1 and 1, that's a big issue.

Then there's the problem of motility and morphology, both of which are way, way below normal and well below the number normally needed for IUI to have a chance of working.

Really, if his results are truly accurate and due to a problem that cannot be corrected via changes in diet, lifestyle, and/or surgery, the only true hope I'd see would be not only IVF, but ICSI as well. Even sitting his sperm next to your eggs in a petri dish is unlikely to result in fertilization with such incredibly low motility and morphology.

Now, it IS possible that he's getting such poor results due to a varicocele, which can often be corrected enough to make natural conception or IUI a possibility. A urologist can guide you best in what all could be going on to cause these results.

Also, there are some over the counter products (usually things taken by weight lifters) that can cause severe infertility issues in men. I think the urologist asked us specifically about 'Andro' IIRC. This was several years ago though, so I'm not sure if that's the name or not.

[Satori]

I agree with the others, the results are not good. Are you open to using donor sperm? Perhaps from DH's brother if you want a genetic link or if you wish to keep it totally private from a sperm bank? Its not as expensive as everyone thinks it is

[ChattyCat]

momma. Infertility is so frustrating.

A monitored IUI cycle will run you around $600-$1000 per cycle. They only increase your odds of conceiving on any given cycle by about 5-8% on average. With those numbers though, I'm not sure if it would really help. Frequently with low sperm numbers, IVF with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is recommended. It's still IVF, but instead of mixing the sperm with the eggs in a dish, they actually select sperm that look good and manually inject them into the egg to fertilize them.

There are some things he can do to possibly improve his sperm. Modification of diet, taking vitamins, avoiding exposure to certain things. I'm not sure of specifics, but I'm sure with some research, you could find them. You may want to give him 3-6 months to improve sperm counts before trying other treatments. You might still need assistance, but with possibly better sperm, those treatments could be more effective.

Good luck momma.

[JackiD]

Thanks so much for your honest replies!

It may just be wishful thinking and not wanting to face reality, but I am hoping that the severe low volume may be due to the circumstances of obtaining the sample. The first was literally in a bathroom in the lobby of the lab with people knocking on the door! The second was a room in the basement of another facility that wasn't too pleasant either.

He has been taking fertility blend for the last few weeks and a multi-vitamin every day. We've cut out all processed and white foods and are becoming much more active (in & out of the bedroom ) We are hoping to naturally change our infertility and planning on another SA in a few months. He refuses to give up the tighty-whiteys, but he doesn't take any drugs/medications, doesn't smoke....

He has had an ultrasound of some kind to look for a blockage and a urinalysis after ejac. to check for semen in the urine - both were negative.

We've just ordered Pre~Seed to try. And want to find a way to boost his drive, hopefully w/o drugs - but we are willing to try just about anything. I think he has performance anxiety.

[Satori]

tighty-whiteys alone can cause low sperm count. I would seriously consider having him get rid of them. Thats usually the 1st step you take to improve counts.

[JackiD]

Tighty Whiteys are gone! Yeah!!

[Satori]

Thats great! in 3 months you can do another sperm count and see if there's an improvement

[Mossant]

I am in the same boat. I have tried IUI twice and may want to go to IVF next but I can't afford it. You may want to check out IVF Shared Risk Refund, it's a payment program for couples who may need financial help paying for IVF. There website is www.yourivf.com.

Good Luck!

[mumm]

I just wanted to point out another option to not having the funds to pay for IVF. I have just purchased non group insurance that will cover infertility. I paid out of pocket for the first 6 medicated IUI's and am now on my first IVF cycle and the insurance policy (less than $500 a month) will cover the IVF. It covers what I need right away since I've had insurance in the past 6 months. I wished I had known before that this option existed.

If this is not clear (and I'm frequenlty as clear as mud! ) please make me explain.

I hope to only pay for two months of the insurance and get pg on the first IVF! But of course, I am always amazed that I still think it might actually happen! $1000 is so little compared to what I've been paying each month.