Just found out DH has no sperm count :( What now?

[Pup22]

Hi all

I just wondered if anyone can help. We have just found out my DH does not produce any sperm. I have a wonderful son aged 6 from a previous relationship and we have been TTC for four years without success. My DH had scarlet fever as a child which the GP said was the possible cause. He has referred us to the fertility specialist and asked DH to do another sample and has suggested our best option will be IUI with donor sperm (but needs to check whether we qualify for this as I already have my DS).

Has anyone had a similar experience or do you know how long it could take before we hear from the fertility expert. We are still struggling with the news and DH not really ready for discussions yet but I have so many questions :( Would love to help or hear from those in the same position. Thanks x

My SH has really low morphogokogy and so he has TESA (surgical sperm retrieval) from the testes to collect sperm from source. Our clinic HSFC in London introduced us to a male Specilaist mr Muneer to do this and he was fantastic! They have had Cases where they have retrieved a single sperm and got the couple pregnant!
Unfortunately for us the frozen TESA sperm has never resulted in pregnancy for us and we he had two attempts with ICSI (sperm injected into the egg) so we are now using donor sperm through IUI.
One thing I would warn however is there's event research that is correlating surgical collates sperm and the use of ICSI with increased risk of learning disabilities and Autism - so In fact I would genuinely think twice now about covering of sperm.

Donor wise - if you reach that step - look at Xyxtex they really are the best bank with the most choice and most information and very efficient at getting the sperm sent to your clinic. They're an American site with uk donors on. Apparently thy are known to get better success rates.

Hope this helps and is not too much information at this stage. We always found better to make informed choices.

Speak to dr Venkat at hsfc about me Muneer - I would highly recommend him!

You can use any Nhs funding at any clinic but if you don't get funding then IUI is cheapest (with excellent results) at city fertilty in London with dr Martin. £800 a round plus sperm instead of £1000 else where!

Good luck xx

• apologies for spelling. iPhone joy!!!

Hi Beetle Beetle and Luckystarfour.

Thanks so much for both replies. For starters its just nice not to feel alone in the whole thing! I know we will start to talk about our options soon but I am very conscious of how hurt my DH is and not showing him that I'm upset - but at the same time we are leaning on each other for support when its needed. It has brought us closer but I know there is a long road ahead.

The doctor didn't even mention that my DH could have more tests to determine the cause or whether there are actually any sperm anywhere so its nice to know there is some hope no matter how small.

I really appreciate the info re TESA and ICSI and thank you so much for the recommendations of websites and donor options. I have registered with Xyxtex. We just need to now wait to hear from the fertility clinic we were referred to - I am so impatient. I think I am just frustrated as being in limbo a little - I always like a plan and you really can't in this situation.

I wish you both the best of luck. If you can offer any other advice about how I should best support my DH, and what we can expect from the treatments both physically and emotionally I would really appreciate it - though completely understand if you'd rather keep this private. Thank you both so much again x

pup buy this book by late Brian on amazon a complete guide to IVF - it will cover everything in simple terms and the emotions.

Pm me - happy to share how my hubby has coped and is as a couple. Xx

• Kate Brian

Hi, yes it is worth seeing if SSR is an option for your dh but the NHS do not fund it. Most areas do not fund any treatment if you already have one child either so if you are having to go private you can choose a clinic that specialises in make infertility rather than the local one.

we also had this issue. in our case it was non obstructive azoospermia which means no sperm produced.

like others have already mentioned we had icsi with surgically retrieved sperm from testicular biopsies. we were lucky that the nhs funded this and the icsi but not sure whether this is funded more widely or for couples that have a child.

emotionally it was tough, particularly on dh. 3 years on he is still distressed at timea. but, we got through it mainly by taking one day at a time and me trying to take care of him and reassuring him that I didn't want to leave

if you do go down the biopsy route then you need to figure out whether some of the side effects are worth it. they were for us but we took a long time to make that decision.

sorry this is so long, I know how hard this is.

Hi, I'm glad to see a few of you in the same situation as me! My DH was told last year that he has azoospermia. It's taken a long time to get to see the right people, have the right tests etc.

It was such a shock knowing that all the TTC we'd done had basically been pointless, because it wasn't going to work naturally with his condition. :(

They initially thought it was non-obstructive meaning our main option was to do TESE/A (surgical retrieval). But now he needs another ultrasound because someone new examined him and thinks there might be a blockage after all. This is good news I think, but now I feel even more uncertainty in a way, because we don't know yet if that's true, how it could be fixed if so, or whether we'd be back to trying naturally afterwards.

Like you said, Pup22, it's the being in limbo and all the waiting that are one of the hardest things. :(

Hi,

My DP has a 0 sperm count too but the doctor thinks it's an obstruction as he already has a DD.

I have no advice as we are still in the dark about everything, the NHS have been no use as we don't qualify for help because he has a DD but I empathise with how your feeling. I cry everyday as I just don't know what to do.

I wish you all the luck, it's such a hard thing to be going through.