Azoospermia?

Hi

I really dont know where to post this but here I go..

We have been TTC for almost 18 months and to no avail, all along I thought it was me. The 1st and 2nd semen analysis was lost somehow and the 3rd analysis came back that my husband has 'azoospermia'.

We are absolutely DEVASTED! I believe this means no sperm.

The semen analysis was delivered to the lab in 3 hrs 15 minutes, well above the normal 2 hours. Is this right?

Went to an IVF clinic today and the doc suggested we redo all tests, so im praying and hoping they got it wrong. He prepared us for the worst and said that our only chance is donor sperm. It was like a kick in the guts. Hubbie and me have been crying all day as he has mentioned to me that he wouldnt be able to cope with the donor sperm thing. As the doc put it, 'we match your hair colour and eye colour, and do a series of tests...' I know he meant well but boy, do we feel ripped off.

Im really not coping at the moment, I cry at the drop of a hat, I know I shouldnt blame hubbie, but I really dont know where to begin. Im tearing typing this I really cant handle it. On the way home from the clinic we almost had 2 car accidents.

We also visited a chinese medicine man and he said he could help, he said it cant happen overnight but gave hubbie some herbs that im boiling like crazy. I have the utmost faith in this bloke as he cured my pre-spotting from 15 years ago.

Does anyone know what Azoospermia is? Could the initial test be wrong? How do we cope with such a thing?

Please help. [-o<

Oh Zoimeister, my heart goes out to you, though couldn't imagine what you are going through.
I have heard of this before, a friend of mine said it was the case with her 1st husband. I know there was some discussion but then they ended up apart anyway. I may see her over the enxt few days, I'll ask her.

Take care (and watch the roads hey, lol)

Hi Zoimeister, I am so sorry to hear that, my heart goes out to you too. Dont give up or give in. I think getting retested is the best option, you need to be certain that the results are accurate, especially if you have doubts about the delivery to the clinic. I did do a quick search on the net under azoospermia...there is a fair bit of info there - a few sites said ...... is important to consider whether there is an underlying condition causing Azoospermia. These are other medical conditions that may possibly cause Azoospermia.'

Dont stop asking questions. I've learnt through a number of medical issues (not just with ttc) that sometimes we need to take control and drive the bus ourselves.....

Hang in there lovely.

Hi there,
It must be really devastating to get the news you have. Hope you are feeling better. As SK says, azoospermia is a condition that can have many underlying causes. So the cause needs to be investigated and treated if possible - for example undescended testicles treated late and mumps can affect sperm production in men. Maybe your DH could ask his mum a few questions about childhood illnesses he may have had.
I really hope the next test shows better results.

Thanks guys its just odd. Hubbie has no undescended testes nor has he ever had the mumps nor has he ever had his tubes tied.

We are really at banging our heads against a brick wall! ](*,)

I am praying that the test is wrong.

[-o< [-o< [-o<

Hi Zoimeister

My husband has a low sperm count, so I think I can help you a bit
First things first...don't panic

Let me see if I can help at all

A normal sperm count is called Teratozoospermia. This would be a count of at least 20 million per 1 ml of semen

A below normal count is called oligozospermia

A count of nothing is called azoospermia.

DON'T PANIC

firstly, you should have produced a sample and taken it to the clinic within an hour not 2!! You should have abstained from sex or masturbation for at least three days before the sample day. On the way there you should have put it in your bra or somewhere else so that it stays at body temperature. Ideally however, it is best to produce the sample at the clinic so they get it straight away.

So assuming that at the least your husband has a low sperm count what can be done to help.

Well sperm are very sensitive to environment. Get you man to stop smoking, drinking, avoid caffein, get out of the hot bath and start taking follic acid, zinc, vitamin C and selenium. follic acid can improve the quality of sperm by 75%. So for example if you get 10 sperm from a sample you want the few you have to be tip top condition don't you.

Very very few men produce no sperm at all, and what i mean by that is a man who has a vasectomy continues to make sperm in his body, he is just preventing it from exitting, so there is a chance that your husband is producing sperm, but that it is not getting to the penis for whatever reason. if this is the case, he should have a testicular biopsy to see if there is sperm in the testicle, if so, no problem, you can have IVF with ICSI where they will operate to retrieve the sperm and inject it straight into the egg. Then you will have a baby of your own

sometimes a man can ejaculate, but the sperm goes back into the penis. I don't remember what this condition is called, but they can testfor it. What they do is get you two to have sex, or get him to masturbate, then they ask him to pee. If sperm is in the urine, he is clearly able to produce sperm. I don't recall how they do fix this though.

so you see it is not hopeless at this stage. I will say this however, you should have been told all of this by a doctor when you got your results. You cannot give out this information without fully explaining what they mean and where you go from there. Therefore, I would leave that clinic. Or at least seriously consider somewhere else when it comes to IVF should that be the case.

now, it is very important that you look after your husband right now. I can't stress that enough. This can work to make you stronger, it certainly has for me and my husband. He is going to feel terrible for a long time, and you just have to accept that. Now is the time to be strong for him, not the other way around. Right or wrong, men associate sperm count with virility. This is absolute rubbish, but they just do. He will be feeling inadequate and so i urge you to gently keep things going in the bedroom. I can't stress that enough. Not having sex can be as damaging to a low sperm count as having too much. Get him to take his supplements, perhaps some acupuncture and move on to the next step which should be making absolutely sure he has no sperm. The only way to kow this is by a testicular biopsy so push for it strenuously. Doctors are not God, don't be afraid to push it is your lives we're talking about!!! Now is not the time to be talikng about donor sperm it is too damaging to your relationship at this stage, wait for the definitive answer, then gently talk about it.

Good luck with everything and chin up
:hug:

Hi Zoimeister

Sararms is correct, the sample must be delivered to the clinic within the hour. My DH had bad results with his SA which he provided at home and delivered to the clinic within the hour and for his second test we have booked him in to provide at the clinic so there is no delay and the procedure is 100% adhered to in case we did something wrong transporting it there or something like that. This is no guarentee that the result will be any different but we are giving it our best shot. Also our doctor mentioned to us other things can have an impact such as even having had the common cold, which is why they get you to test a couple of months later. In any case I would get (and this is something we are going to go) an appointment with an andrologist to have a thorough consultation to put both your minds at ease.

It is a devistating blow to receive that news, I know, I cried for weeks. DH just went into shock and didn't really accept it but is quite good about it now. We have the attitude that we will do everything we can and support each other all the way.

All the best and I hope that it settles down for you :flower:

Hang in there,

Hi buddy,

My husband and i have been trying for 5 years. Just over 1 year ago we decided to get ourselves tested. I too had always considered it was my fault and was shocked to discover the news. after 3 sperm tests all showing no sperm, my husband was diagnosed with azoospermia.

In his case further testing revealed that he has one of the cystic fibrosis genes which in most cases means incomplete vas defrens therefore complete blockage.

You should not despair however. Just because no sperm come out does not mean they are not there!!!

My husband and i have been undergoing ivf for 1 year (no success yet, but you may be lucky). Each time i have my eggs removed my husband has his sperm removed. It is a quick procedure under local anesthetic. It is done via fine needle aspiration in to the testies, hes a bit sore the next couple days but with all us women go through its a small price to pay.

I think you need to get more info, dont let them just talk you into donor sperm until you given it a go. We also jumped to that conclusion and were devastated.

If you want to chat further im on msn or email me stewandmeg@hotmail.com

Thanks Meg. Always nice to talk to someone that has the same condition. My husband is going to have to go and have a biopsy now so the urologist can determine what really is hapenning down there.

I wish you all the best, and I have added you to my msn so we can chat, as I feel so alone in this.

:cry: