Partner on sertraline - ttc success stories

[AlexH13]

Hi all - we’re currently TTC #2 (very lucky to conceive first time with #1) and my partner has recently gone on Sertraline to help with depression and anxiety. We’re on cycle three. We’ve had some trouble “finishing” this month - I think because of the medication - but have managed to overcome this with home insemination. But I’ve read that SSRIs like Sertraline can impact sperm quality even if you are able to ejaculate. I wondered if anyone had any experience of this? Any success stories especially helpful as I’m wondering just how concerned I need to be. Mixed stories online. Thanks!

My DH is on sertaline. He also had trouble finishing. I did ovulation tests so i knew when i was ovulating and he didn’t take his tablet that morning.
Currently 7 months pregnant after 2 cycles.

Could he try lowering his dose under doctors supervision?

I was asking this exact question a couple of months ago and madly searching the internet for info.
my partner is on setraline and I was I was so worried it would affect our chances of conceiving, but at the same time I knew he couldn’t just stop his meds. Just found out I’m pregnant ☺️. 4+2.

Hmm I’m interested in this too - also TTC #2 and the Sertraline is new since #1. I’ve had two MC this time around and was wondering whether the meds might have impacted in that area. No idea how sperm quality affects things though, whether it just wouldn’t fertilise rather rehab cause a MC. Interested to hear others’ stories.

Yup IME notwithstanding the lack of sex drive and inability to finish it also nuked his sperm

How did you find this out? Thanks!

Oh wow huge congratulations! Stories like this are hugely reassuring - just a little bit of home. Thank you 💜

I was annoyed he went on anti d anyway when we were TTC - IMO there was nothing wrong with him other than being attention seeking and wanting to be signed off work - so we went for regular sperm tests as we were referred for IVF. Before going on them sperm tests were normal. Whilst he was on them morphology tanked - 6 months after he came off them sperm back to normal and got pregnant

My husband was on sertraline for about 1year he got his sperm analysed and it was absolutely normal I honestly wouldn’t think too much into it

Dh has been in sertraline for 3 years. We got pregnant the first month of trying (ended in a miscarriage at 6 weeks) and then got pregnant the month after the miscarriage. So definitely didn't effect our chances.

Hello! Can I please ask - what were your partner’s count and motility results like when on Sertraline? Thanks!

We haven’t done any testing yet but are considering it. For some reason I’m particularly concerned about fragmentation, which I don’t think NHS test for. Interested to know what tests people have had, and where you got tests done. Thanks!

This was my partners when taking sertraline. Just to add I got pregnant twice this year. One ended in a miscarriage at 8 weeks but I’m now 14 weeks and all good. Both times were when my partner was taking sertraline. We paid for this test privately I don’t think it actually cost that much maybe around £100? We just researched local clinics and got the results within 24 hours.

That’s interesting, thanks @Holly1712 I don’t know much about these things but I don’t think that includes any DNA fragmentation tests. I may be wrong though. Great news that you’re having a healthy pregnancy now though! Congratulations :)

I’m not sure if it does or not. Might be worth asking around at local clinics and getting more info that way. Best of luck

Sorry I know you’ve asked for success stories, shall I include our experience trying on sertraline vs off of it? DH came off it because we weren’t conceiving. We went to docs and said we were trying and concerned about the medication having an impact and she said there is one SSRI that doesn’t impact sperm, available in the uk (sorry she didn’t give the name) but you could enquire about that?

@Katandbabe It would def be helpful to hear more about your experience, thank you! Did sperm analysis show any issues on Sertraline? What happened next?!

I actually posted about it yesterday here. We didn’t do testing as having the doctor confirm in her opinion it impacted male fertility, and knowing I felt the same way from the articles, we made the call. We conceived month 1/2 after DH was free of the medication, as explained in my post, it takes 3 months for sperm to fully mature so what DH husband does this month will impact the little guys that mature in 3 months time (so we had 3 months of TTC since coming of medication and none of those cycles were successfu , we didn’t expect much from those months and then cycle 5 we conceived, we didn’t change anything about frequency, supplements etc it was all the same I guess just more reason to believe it was the medication that was impacting us). Good luck!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/conception/4873819-ttc-with-male-on-citalopram-ssri-anti-depressant?reply=128474383

Thanks @Katandbabe thats so interesting, and really thoughtful of you to share with others. I do love the collective knowledge of this place! Huge congratulations to you on your BFP :)

Hi all, just to update as I think it’s helpful to update these threads for future readers.

We did have a semen analysis and although we don’t know what my partner’s sperm was like before the medication, the analysis did show his morphology was low. Fortunately, both the GP and the fertility doctor told us not to worry as all his other “counts” were above average so the morphology shouldn’t make a difference. (Eg: 1.5% of a high count is equivalent to 4% of a lower count)

And then this month, our fourth cycle and the same cycle as the SA, we got pregnant. Very sadly it ended in a chemical pregnancy (I don’t know if this is related?) but I feel hopeful that we can get pregnant on the medication as he doesn’t feel able to come of it yet.

Also, if helpful, we managed to “finish” traditionally by my partner not taking his tablet until after sex in the evening.

Thanks for the update @AlexH13 though I’m really sorry for your loss. What a rollercoaster. How are you feeling now? Sending strength if you’re struggling at all. I think I mentioned previously I’ve had two MC (one about 6 weeks, one MMC found at 12 weeks) since DH has been on Sertraline so I have worried it’s related. I’ve not read anything definitive about causing MC rather than trouble with conception though. Hopefully things will improve soon for both of us.

Following this thread with interest. What was your respective outcomes pls?

Hi @SvT - hope you’re doing ok. If you’re TTC and finding things hard, my heart goes out to you. It’s a strange, difficult road. Reading back over my old posts I was so anxious, and for me that really was the product of the losses. To update, I conceived again a few months after my last post, and am writing this during a night feed for my 6 month old! We didn’t do any sperm analysis as I got pregnant just before we’d booked a private fertility appointment, so I can’t give any stats. It’s interesting this thread popped up though as we have had some issues with finishing sometimes since and I’d not put 2+2 together that it could be the Sertraline. (TBH DTD not high on list of priorities currently…!) But anyway, a good outcome for us - hope that gives you hope. Good luck!

Hello @SvT - we actually conceived the cycle straight after my chemical pregnancy and our baby is now nearly 10 months old. So two really positive outcomes which I hope give you lots of reasons to be optimistic x

It really does thank you Alex!