TTC After a Loss
Stuuuaaart
member
Options
Presnisone and sperm count (loss mentioned)
Stuuuaaart
member
We have been TTC for a year. We had a miscarriage in June, and started trying again as soon as I had my 2nd cycle. My husband had a bad case of broncitis this week and the dr just put him on presnisone. He will be on it until next Thursday because his lungs were inflamed from all the coughing. I will be ovulating Thursday-Friday of next week so we will start BD around Tuesday. I read that presnisone can cause a low sperm count. Does anyone know if that's true from just one 7 day cycle or does it only effect sperm count when there is prolonged use of a steroid?
Re: Presnisone and sperm count (loss mentioned)
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. This took a bit of digging, but I didn't want you to feel like no one could help. At initial read, I found a bunch of articles suggesting prednisone effected male fertility, but to an article each one used nebulous language like 'might, could' and none referenced scientific literature. So, I dug deeper. What I found makes me think that your husband's sperm count is unlikely to be effected by his round of prednisone, as it is actually the drug of choice for treating several factors of male infertility.
I found an article discussing the use of high dose prednisone when a male fertility patient produced antibodies to his own sperm:
"Glucocorticoids, steroid hormones used to treat inflammation arising from the immune system, may be necessary to improve fertility. When the immune system produces antibodies to ward off an infection, the antibodies can bind to sperm and cause sperm to stick together. This process, called agglutination, interferes with sperm motility and ability to reach an egg. High doses of prednisone (40 to 60 mg daily) taken for up to six months to combat agglutination have been shown to improve fertility and lead to pregnancy. (3) However, high doses of glucocorticoids have adverse side effects that many patients cannot tolerate. "
The article is referencing the following paper:
Hendry WF, Hughes L, Scammell G, et al. Comparison of prednisolone and placebo in subfertile men with antibodies to spermatozoa. Lancet. 1990;335:85.
I found a few others, but my tablet is giving me the devil's time copying and pasting and keeps deleting what I've done, so I'm going to stop here. However, one article found by a stranger on the internet is not the end all be all, and I'd give your doctor a call if you are in anyway unsure. The only hard and fast rule is if you are taking prednisone, don't just stop taking it. Follow the instructions exactly as written and if you feel the need to stop sooner, call your doctor for safe instructions for how to do it. Stopping prednisone can present risk to your heart, depending on the dose you are taking.
All advice given based on lengthy personal experience.
I am not a doctor, I just have a working medical vocabulary.
Always available to answer questions about loss, infertility, and TRP.
Again, I can't thank you enough for this! I am ovulating today so we have been trying all week. Hopefully the prednisone didn't effect anything.