hi Ladies, I'm looking for some hope and was directed to this board.
We had 2 SA's come back with 0.1/0.2 million sperm/ml. Not good. We're waiting to see a urologist but assuming they'll send us straight to IVF with ICSI. I'm reading horror stories of very low fertilization rates with such a low sperm count and I'm wondering if anyone has been in a situation like this. Luckily everything checks out fine with me, it's just DH who has issues. We're in our mid 30's.
He's started ubiqinol and Fertilaid but I'm not hopefully it will make much of a change because the numbers are so low.
Please share any positive stories! We are so saddened by this.
Re: Looking for success with severe MFI
Positive for HLA-B27, I'm a mutant
Testing - Me ok, gluten issue? DH - borderline count, low motility
4/28/11 IUI#1 = BFP!(5/25), EDD 2/2/12 - m/c 5w3d
7/3, 7/31, 9/25 - IUI#2-4=BFN
IVF#1 - 1 blast = BFP!! (12/30), EDD 9/9/12, confirmed c/p 4w2d
FET#1 3/2/12 - 2 blasts =BFP!! EDD 11/18/12, us#1 = twins! Confirmed m/c 5w6d
4/20-surprise BFP and another c/p 4w2d
FET#2 7/16/12 - 2 blasts = BFN
FET#3 8/20/12 - 1 blast - BFP!! Beta #1-2=177, 354
1st u/s 5w6d, one beautiful little HB
baby girl born 5/10/13
TTC#2 since 12/17/2014, Cycle 8
Repeat Testing...FSH=12, AMH=3.8, AFC=28.
IUI#5 5/10/15- c/p?
IVF#2 8/19/15 - cancelled due to cysts
IVF#2 take two 10/2015 - 5 blasts frozen
FET#4 12/11/2015 - BFN - 4 blasts remaining
FET#5 2/18/16 - BFP!!! Beta1-3, 126, 250, 745!!
Tons of love and ((hugs)) to my IF sister NMscubagirl
Hi There,
We struggled with fairly severe MFI. DH's numbers weren't quite as low as your describing (our first SA was 1-2 million, with 2% motility.) The urologist was not much help to us, as they were not able to determine a reason for the low numbers. RE recommended that DH take Fertility Aid supplements, which really worked for us! After starting the Fertility Aid supplements the SA numbers kept getting better and better. We had a SA done about every 2 months. After 6 months using Fertility Aid supplements DH's count went up to 13 million, which is still low, but WAY better than 1-2 million.
Another interesting fact is that our RE noticed that DH produced a lot of mucus in his semen, which was slowing down the sperm. She had DH take Mucinex for 2 weeks prior to our first IUI. I was on Clomid and we did the trigger shot for ovulation. Also, because our issue was MFI we did two IUIs 24 hrs apart.
We ended up getting a BFP after our first IUI, but that ended up being a CP. We got another BFP after our second IUI (again with Clomid + trigger, and 2 IUIs 24hrs apart.) I'm 19 wks pregnant now and everything seems healthy!
I know how devastating it can be to struggle with IF. Especially with MFI, unless you go straight to IVF, it's a waiting game to see if there is a way to increase the sperm count before ever moving forward with the actual IUI. That was the worst part for me, the waiting. It gave me hope that DH's numbers improved every time we did a SA, but it was still so hard to feel helpless in the process.
I wish you the best on this very difficult journey! Which ever decision you make, I'm sure it will be the right one for you. Good Luck!
Me: 36, DH: 36
Married and TTC Since 2/2012
Me: Mild PCOS, DH: Low Sperm Count and Motility
IUI #1 w/Clomid + Trigger - BFP 10/15/15, MC (CP) 10/19/15
IUI #2 w/Clomid + Trigger - BFP 12/14/15 EDD 8/23/16
Foster to Adopt Placement! DD#1 Born 7/2016
DD#2 Born 9/2016
Foster to Adopt Placement! DS Born 7/2018
This is message has made my day, I truly appreciate you taking the time to respond.
He underwent surgery and we got 5 fertilized eggs that made it to blastocysts. Currently have a 2 year old daughter and waiting on our final FET results!
So you're already better off than you could be!! Even if you have to do IVf- it's not so bad..... Best of luck to you!
@GarnerWife I know this is a late response, but maybe it will help someone.
My husband is a cancer survivor with no sperm in his SA. We have a completely healthy 3 yr old son conceived through IVF, ICSI, and testicular biopsy. Sometimes this can be done through testicular aspiration instead of an actual biopsy on the man, but we had to be more aggressive in our case. We are now 22 weeks pregnant with healthy looking boy/girl twins also conceived the same way. Find a good urologist that works in conjunction with your reproductive endocrinologist. That was how we found our clinic. It was the one where the urologist actually came into the clinic to do the surgeries on my husband on the same day as my RE did my egg retrievals. Other clinics in our area used separate facilities, and although the urologists were completely capable, I felt more confident in the handling of the specimens when they were done by the same lab.
5 DIUI - BFN
IVF#1 - BFP - AJ 7/12
FET#1 - BFP Due 7/24/14
MFI, NTNP x 10yrs
6/2017: started IVF + ICSI cycle #1, antagonist protocol (menopur/gonal-f/ovidrel)
7/17/2017: ER, 16 eggs retrieved, 15 mature and ICSI'd, 7 fertilized.
7/22/2017: 1 fresh day 5 embryo transfer, rest of embryos arrested at day 4 morula stage
7/31/2017: BFN
August: DH started clomid
November 2017: Started metformin for egg quality
March 2018: Planning to do IVF + ICSI, antagonist with HGH, freeze at 2pn stage for 2018 FET