Hello ladies! INTRO

GoBucksOH · September 2014

Hey everyone! After lurking around for a bit, I believe this is the board where I will fit in best, so I just wanted to post a quick HELLO!

About me - I am 34 and DH is 42. We were married in May 2011 and have been TTC since October 2012. We are dog lovers and have 2 - a boxer named Joe and a Maltese named Cody that we have just adopted from my parents who have become ill and are no longer able to care for him. DH and I both work for the same company in an office setting.

TTC History - DH had been on Androgel for Low T since June 2008. Dr always said it should not cause any issues long term. After TTC for 6 months, dr decided to do a SA b/c of DH's age. The SA came back at 0. Dr still said not to stop the Androgel but after doing our own research online we decided he would stop immediately and also changed dr's and went to a local male reproductive specialist. He told us that is he amazed how many dr's out there are unaware of the negative side effects of Androgel. He put DH on a mix of Clomid and Arimidex which he has been taking for just over a year now. Counts have improved but still not to where they need to be. In Feb this year I had an HSG to be sure that I have no issues and thankfully everything came back clear. We have just started our first cycle of IUI - I took Clomid last week, had my 2nd u/s today, will be taking my Ovidrel shot on Friday, and IUI on Saturday morning.

I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and learn from you all. I am excited to feel like part of a group and not "alone" in this journey!

shirleymaeby · September 2014

Welcome to the board!

dancerspose · September 2014

Welcome and good luck this weekend!

jennym25 · September 2014

Welcome, you are definitely not alone. Good luck with your IUI on Saturday!!

MrsLolaSky · September 2014

Good luck! And welcome to the board!

Btw, I'm so sad to hear about that previous doctor you had! I can't believe that he didn't flag the drug in the first place--or that he didn't have your husband stop using it immediately after that SA. I'm glad you guys sought out another opinion. I hope that because there was a likely cause for the MFI that it means you guys will have a good shot now that your husband has been off the drug for a while!

Hollowvic · September 2014

Welcome and good luck with your IUI. We're dealing with MFI also, it's very frustrating.

GoBucksOH · September 2014

MrsLolaSky said:

Good luck! And welcome to the board! Btw, I'm so sad to hear about that previous doctor you had! I can't believe that he didn't flag the drug in the first place--or that he didn't have your husband stop using it immediately after that SA. I'm glad you guys sought out another opinion. I hope that because there was a likely cause for the MFI that it means you guys will have a good shot now that your husband has been off the drug for a while!

I remember the day that DH and I decided it was time to drop that doctor, quit the drugs on our own, and schedule an apt with a Uro specializing in MFI. It was crazy to think that we were making these decisions that felt like a doctor should make, but we were 100% convinced that Androgel was the culprit. We are lucky enough to live less than 10 minutes from a hospital where his Uro and my RE practice down the hall from each other and are ranked #1 in our state for fertility success. At least now we feel like we are on the right track and in good hands. Just happy that we took matters into our own hands.

GoBucksOH · September 2014

...... and on another note..... I am realizing that I need to fancy up my signature a bit!

loveinkw13 · September 2014

Welcome!! Good luck with your IUI! There is an IUI check-in if you want to join that, too

ky29 · September 2014

Welcome! So glad you got a second opinion.. Good luck!!

moto611 · September 2014

Your story is so similar to ours!! My husband was also on Androgel, and his doctor at the time specifically said it probably wouldn't hurt our chances to conceive. She said if his count was normal to begin with the Androgel might lower it a bit, but that most men would still have enough left for TTC. So we tried for a year and then finally got him tested: zero, just like you. So devastating. It's really the worst feeling. (p.s. - to anyone finding this post by searching on Androgel... stop taking it if you're TTC!!)

But have some hope - if your husband's low count was due to the Androgel, it should improve! When exactly did your husband go off of Androgel? My husband's (new, much better) doctor told us his count should improve in 6-12 months after stopping the drug. After exactly 12 months he had sperm, but the numbers were not great. But now about 20 months later, he had 43 million motile sperm post-wash at our last IUI! They didn't tell us his pre-wash numbers, but they said over and over that 43 million motile was more than plenty for an IUI.

I'm not pregnant yet so this isn't exactly a post-Androgel success story I guess, but hopefully it gives you a little hope. Our RE does not consider us to have MFI - which is crazy to me after all we've been through.

Champs28 · September 2014

Welcome and good luck!

DSculley1824 · September 2014

Good luck! Welcome to the group

AnnaClaire256 · September 2014

Welcome to 3T! You've come to a great place for advice and support. I was thinking your intro sounded so much like @moto611‌'s! That's what's so awesome about this board...there is always someone who can sympathize with our struggle. Good luck with your IUI this weekend!

GoBucksOH · September 2014

Wow thanks everyone for all of the welcomes and GL's! I am super excited to be on this path.

@moto611 - you are right, our stories sound all too familiar. We are about 14 months out from completely stopping Androgel. Hubby's last SA back in May showed 7 million total which isnt great but again better than 0. Your story gives me hope that we can still improve that number!

lebradford · September 2014

Welcome! Good luck with your IUI!

BunnyBerry · September 2014

Welcome, although sorry you find yourself here!

Since today is Throat Punch Thursday, I have to say, no one deserves a TP more than an idiot doctor who kept a man with 0 sperm count on testosterone!! My husband is a ding-dong about anything IF related but even he knows that's idiotic. So glad your recent SA showed great improvement. There's a lot that can be done with numbers like that.

moto611 · September 2014

@GoBucksOH - so if I'm doing my math right, your last SA was about 10-11 months after stopping Androgel? I know every guy is different but based on my husband's experience and my very extensive googling on this (I might have been a bit obsessed...) I would definitely say you should still have hope for improvement. Especially considering how long your husband was on the drug - I've read that the longer they take it, the longer it takes to recover. Which is annoying but could mean good news for you and your IUI. Good luck!!

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