New here with severe MFI

GarnerWife · April 2016

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie on here and am adjusting to the news that we have severe MFI. I'm 34 and DH is 36 and we were TTC for a year before getting referred to our RE. They ran a full round of tests and everything checks out ok with me (I think) but DH had sperm count of 0.1 (aaaaah) and the most recent one was 1 a month later. We're both so healthy and active, especially him, I can't imagine why this is happening. We're crushed.

They called yesterday and are referring us to a urologist that specializes in fertility, the wait time to get in with him for a consult is 3 months. I feel like I've been waiting for the next thing for so long, I just want to get things moving. They won't even see us at the RE's until we go to the urologist. We're totally ok with doing IVF with ICSI, based on what I've read it's likely our only option and I don't see how a urologist can help. I'm so sad and frustrated and scared now that it will be a 6 month process to get a urologist to tell us to go straight to IVF.

We're in Ontario and I'm wondering if I should get a 2nd opinion. There are good 2 clinics in my city.

Does anyone have any advice? I don't know what to do. I've never been so scared in my life, I'm generally a really happy person and this has turned our world upside down and I don't know anyone who has had fertility problems that I can talk to. I feel like a zombie, I can't get my mind off this. I can't imagine 3 more months like this not knowing anything.

thanks for listening.

oxinfree · April 2016

Welcome @GarnerWife and I'm so so sorry for your recent diagnosis. Yes, IVF with ICSI is likely to be your best route. Part of the reason for the urologist is to find any possible cause for his poor numbers. Perhaps he has varicocele and could be corrected with surgery and then you'd have even better chances. I know it's frustrating, but it really is best to get all the information you can before starting. Once you start, it continues to be never ending waits for the next milestone (just a side fyi... its something we all have to cope with ongoing).
Definitely worth getting a second opinion if you're not happy with your RE though, it may even just ease your mind if you end up being told the same thing. Wouldn't hurt either way. Maybe they'll have an action plan that is more in line with what your goals are too..who knows.
*trigger warning* My friend's DH has azoospermia and they conceived two beautiful healthy children on first attempts each time with IVF/ICSI. This likely isn't what you pictured for your ttc journey, but if in the end you get the beautiful family you are dreaming for it will all be worth it. Best of luck to you on this journey. Big big hugs.

capps42613 · April 2016

@GarnerWife Hi & welcome! My DH and I are here as well due to severe MFI. DH was diagnosed with azoospermia after seeing a urologist. ***TW*** We're currently expecting our first child together thanks to IVF & ICSI (on our first attempt). I understand how difficult it is to play the waiting game, but unfortunately, this is only the beginning :-/ I would be lying if I said the waiting will get easier, but with every step, there is a wait. However, eventually it will be so0o worth it. Keep your head up & feel free to reach out if you have any further questions

Best of luck!

LadyMillil · April 2016

Personally, I would go to the urologist and see what they have to say before seeking a second opinion from an RE. Like PP said a urologist might be able to find a reason for the severe MFI which can be treated. If the MFI can be treated, other options may become available to you.

GarnerWife · April 2016

Thanks for the replies and kind words everyone. I'll wait until we have the appointment and go from there I guess. It's good hearing success stories, this gives me hope.

cmm012 · April 2016

Hello! I wanted to add my welcome to you and to echo what everyone else said. I'm not sure where you are in Ontario, but if you're close to the US border, you might be able to see a specialist in the US. The wait times will likely be shorter. Waiting is definitely no fun, especially when you've been trying for well over a year prior to now. Hang in there!

LadyMillil · April 2016

cmm012 said:

Hello! I wanted to add my welcome to you and to echo what everyone else said. I'm not sure where you are in Ontario, but if you're close to the US border, you might be able to see a specialist in the US. The wait times will likely be shorter. Waiting is definitely no fun, especially when you've been trying for well over a year prior to now. Hang in there!

Ontario offers 1 free IVF cycle for any woman that needs it, so I would avoid this.

wifeinraleigh28 · April 2016

Hi @GarnerWife! So so sorry to hear what you're going through. I felt so devastated when we first received our MFI diagnosis too. We went to a urologist and my DH was prescribed clomid, which helped with low sperm count but didn't improve motility or morphology. So after two failed IUI cycles we're moving on to IVF. The success rates for IVF + ICSI kind of excite me, so I'm really looking forward to this. I know it's one wait after another, but it will all be worth it in the end. I had a really hard time with all the waiting at first and felt like I was going crazy, but now I'm finding ways to enjoy my child-free life at the moment, and just make the best of it. There isn't a whole lot we can do to speed up time. I'm glad you've joined our little corner of the internet, as these boards have really helped me cope with infertility!

chicandbubbly · April 2016

Hi @GarnerWife and welcome! We also are dealing with male factor. We will be doing our third IUI tomorrow and if that isn't successful we will be moving on to IVF. We went to a urologist after we found out back in October/November and he basically said there is nothing he can do for my DH since it is genetic. If your DH has a blockage or hormone problems then the urologist/RE can help you with that.

We were told IVF is our best chance, but since we are 100% out of pocket we decided to try a few IUI's first (RE agreed that we could) before having to spend $15K+ on IVF. Of course, whatever you both feel comfortable with in addition to the medical advice is really the most important thing... there is no "right" course when dealing with this.

My husbands count was over 10 times his initial SA (October) for our first IUI (January). He didn't really change anything besides starting vitamins, eating healthier and drinking more water. He also initially cut back on beer but has since been enjoying on weekends.

I am so sorry you are dealing with this, it really is overwhelming. Feel free to message me if you need to chat. I wish you the best of luck.

GarnerWife · April 2016

Thanks for your reply, it's so nice to know other people are going through this too. We decided to enjoy our summer and not stress and just know that it will happen and take some time. And that's ok. I'm excited by the IVF success rates too! I hope that once we have our appointment we can get things moving quickly.

LittleSap92014 · April 2016

Just as the others on this board, my husband and I have also been diagnosed with MFI. He also has a low count (1.7). We just had our initial consult, and the RE recommended that we go straight to IVF. He also needs to see a urologist prior to our start with IVF. Luckily for us, our fertility clinic brings in a urologist once per week and the wait time wasn't too long. You and I seem to have the same issue -- see, you're not alone! Waiting is definitely the worst part, but we're trying to stay patient. You can do this .. it'll be so worth it! Keep that in mind :-) Can he see a urologist in the states, and still continue to do IVF in Canada? I'm in NY right on the border, if you're close I'll give you the name of our place. If you ever need to talk, message me!

GarnerWife · April 2016

@LittleSap92014 thanks for replying. I called another local clinic and they said that even if we wanted to go straight to IVF they would need us to see a urologist too, so we're just trying to make the best of it and hopefully the next three months pass quickly. That's the one downfall of the free health care in Canada is that everything takes a long time, especially getting into a specialist.
I know it will be worth it and we're taking this time to be healthy and just enjoy each other. Who knows, maybe his count will actually increase with all of these supplements I've put him on!
Have you seen the urologist yet? I'm curious what they will do once it's already been determined that IVF is the best option.

LittleSap92014 · April 2016

@garnerwife DH hasn't gone yet. His appointment is the middle of May. I'll certainly let you know what to expect though once he's gone!

lizmb-2 · April 2016

My DH was diagnosed with severe MFI and after seeing a urologist they put him in HCG shots three times a week and Clomid every other day. He will have another SA done in a couple weeks but we are doing IVF/ICSI. I start my injections toward the end of next week. We're just hoping his counts have gone up even a little

PrincessSabert · April 2016

The urologist will probably feel him to see if there's a varicocele, and he may get an ultrasound down there - my DH did, and I think he was a little traumatized lol.

I'm a little biased, an ultrasound was the easiest of what I've been through on our infertility journey. But he's had some scares too - his count was low, so they put him on clomid, which helped, until it gave him blood clots.

That is a less common side effect but does happen, so be aware of your body, and especially any new leg pain while on meds. We were shocked, and instead of the planned IUI, we headed to IVF ICSI. My egg retrieval is tomorrow. It has taken months of tests to get here, but it will all be worth it in the end. Good luck to you and DH!

Rias · April 2016

Welcome! I understand completely how you feel. We are in the same boat as you and to give you some hope we did ivf w icsi back in 2011 and have a beautiful 3.5 yr old daughter now. We were sad scared angry and confused but it worked out. We are now trying again but I can tell you everything will be ok. Don't stop trying.

GarnerWife · April 2016

@Rias thank you for the success story! It's great to hear that it worked. I know it will I'm scared and frustrated and trying so hard to let go of that and be patient.

@PrincessSabert good luck with your retrieval! If he gets put on clomid I'll make sure to watch for any strange signs. Thanks for that.

Thanks everyone one who wrote, it means a lot.

APM_SLP · April 2016

Hi there! I'm very new to this forum and I'm in a simliar situation. We have been TTC for 15 months. In that time, I had a very large (think grapefruit sized) Fallopian tube cyst removed. During that time they checked my Fallopian tubes for blockages. My left one (The one that had the cyst) was open and the right one was blocked! We continued trying for five cycles post surgery to no avail. That's when I finally insisted on having my husband tested. Much to our surprise his results came back moderate/severe with both low count and very poor morphology. I was honestly shocked, as I thought it had just been me this entire time. My obgyn suggested our best option would be IVF/ICSI, however we are currently waiting on our first fertility appt in late May. We are 34 and 35 so we are very anxious to get started. Haven't heard anything about a urologist, but I'm curious if the fertility doc will mention it. We will get through this girl! Keep in touch.

GarnerWife · April 2016

@Andreap681 from what I'm finding its standard in Ontario for anyone with MFI to see a urologist, I'm sure that is different in other states/provinces though. Hopefully your experience is quicker than ours!
I feel like doctors should just let any couple who is beginning TTC to both get tested so that they don't waste potential months/ years of heartbreak if there is a problem.
Thanks for writing, hope things go smoothly for you guys from here.

hibiscus118 · April 2016

Hi @GarnerWife.

We were diagnosed with severe MFI in January after trying for a year. We got in with an RE within a few weeks who referred us to a urologist who also specializes in fertility. In the beginning I felt like you did. It is a lot easier to swallow now that we are starting to get answers. At our first appt. with the urologist she suspected varicoceles and sent us for an ultrasound right then. She also sent him for blood work to check hormones. Turns out he has varicoceles on both sides as well as low hormones. He has to have surgery for the varicoceles in May and I have to give him HCG injections 3 times/week. We had a couple set backs because he had to have an MRI to check pituitary gland and blood work to check on something that came back with our genetic testing before he could schedule surgery. That was so frustrating! Like you, my tests have all come back normal so far. The RE cleared us for IVF with ICSI but with his numbers now, he would want the urologist on standby at my retrieval in case his numbers were even worse that day. So we are currently waiting until after our planned vacation this summer to see if his surgery and/or injections help his counts, but are still planning on starting IVF in July or August.

I would just wait until you get into the urologist (sorry you have to wait so long!). Once we got in there the process went pretty quickly with finding out answers. We knew within a week the results of his tests. Maybe you could call and ask them to write orders for blood word before you go so they have results? I'd be more than happy to talk anytime if you ever want!

I love hearing the success stories on this thread. It gives me hope!

GarnerWife · April 2016

@hibiscus118 thanks you for this! So great to hear from others who have been there, these replys from everyone have made me feel so much better. I wish nobody had to go through it but I feel way less alone than I did a month ago.

I'm hoping the massive amounts of supplements he's been on for 2 months now make a bit of a difference when he does the next SA for the urologist. I will call and see if they can pre-order bloodwork, good idea. He's now come down with what looks like a UTI but might be prostitis, I'm wondering if he's carried it for a while before showing symptoms. He had a high PH of 8.5 on the last SA and it could be from elevated bacteria. He's on antibiotics now so we're hopeful the next test is better.

I hope the months off this summer after surgery make a difference for your husband, I've heard good things about that surgery. We planned a vacation in the summer too, it's great to have something to look forward to. Wishing you all the best.

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