Semen analysis

[Patientlywaiting1984]

Hi all,

My husband and I have been TTC for 12 months and are in the process of having some initial tests. I've had a 21 day blood test and it's come back normal and on Monday my husband is having a semen analysis. It was a relief getting my blood test results back but now we're both worrying excessively about the SA. I just don't know how to deal with all this worry- does anyone have any advice?

Also, if you've been through this, do you know how long the SA results take to come back? How would we get told them? Finally, do any of you know how sperm problems are dealt with?

My overriding worry is that we'll never have a biological child of our own and I just can't work out how likely/unlikely that is on the basis that my test came back ok.

Phew! Any thoughts or words of advice would be greatly appreciated. We both are really struggling and don't know what to do with ourselves. Infertility is just so stressful isn't it? My heart goes out to all of you in a similar situation

Thank you

I felt exactly the same , but as my doctor said 12 months really isn't that long, it's just an average it doesn't mean there's a problem.
as it turned out my hubby had some fairly major semen issues and we were told we had a million to 1 chance on conceiving. So after a lot of heartache and straw we decided to bin the ovulation kits and give the fertility diet ( particularly Brazil nuts everyday for my dh) a go as a last resort before we went back to the doctor about ivf. About 2 months later I was pregnant with dd1. A year later no diet, not even properly trying and I'm pregnant with dd2.
my point is whatever the results, good or bad nothing is impossible. I never dreamed after being given those odds I would have a beautiful little girl and another on the way.
All you can do is try to relax, my gp also said don't try to hard, it a quality over quantity.
good luck

Not sure how long the results take as we had the tests done and then got pregnant before the appointment with the fertility clinic to discuss them.
If there is a problem I think they do another sample to confirm there is a problem. They do chromosome analysis to check for any chromosome problems including klinefelters syndrome and a CF screen. It depends what the problem is with the sperm by ICSI is a posibility and testicular sperm extraction is an option is there a very few sperm.
It is stressful waiting for the results but hope your result come back clear and you get your BFP soon.

Hi - on the NHS took around 2 weeks to get the sperm result back
However private they did it there and then and gave us the analysis straight away ( 2 people verified it) they also went thou all the different factors and what they are looking at etc etc it was very helpful
Its very stressful and I honestly don't know how people don't get carted off to the funny farm over it, I have been through every emotion possible with it ...... Rage and anger mostly
We went through so many tests mainly on me and now we are half way thou our first cycle.... Eggs may be going back in tomorrow
X

Sorry should add the NHS found 0% normal forms..... Which with my problems also was gutting
However when we went private they said the result was wrong and impossible and then they did and gave back normal / slightly under but with his really high sperm count and mobility it evened it out
My advice if you are looking to go NHS dont , if u can pay for a private one they know what they are looking at they mentioned the NHs have limited resources to analysing sperm.... Hopefully our case was a one off

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your responses. Princessvicky- you've given me hope so thanks! Your story has such a lovely ending

I'll wait and see what the results say and might well go down the private route. It's the waiting that's causing me the most stress and maybe it's worth paying to hurry the process up a bit.

Thanks again!

DP had his done earlier this year. He did it on the Wednesday and collected the results from the GP on the Friday. It was an NHS test so maybe worth checking with the lab when you can get the results

Thank you so much mistletoe, I'm glad to hear it's so quick. It's the waiting that's the worst Can I ask how he got his results? In person or over the phone? I hope your story had a happy ending or has one very soon x

Hi patiently my dh had to wait 2wks for his results both times. the gp receptionist called to make a telephone appointment.
my dh had low morphology and slightly low motility so we were recommended icsi. that was Jan 14, by the time we did our first round of ivf in jan 15 his numbers had improved so much they were basically normal so we had to choose ivf, icsi or a mixture of both! we did mixture and I got pg but mc at 5 weeks. all he did to increase his numbers was to take 1000mg vit c per day on recommendation of consultant,quit caffeine almost entirely and we were both following high protein low carb diet.
I'd recommend researching local clinics in your area, hfea website is a good place to start. I was given a choice of 3 clinics when I got the call to book my first referral appointment and didn't realise I'd have a choice so just picked the closest one. fortunately they have been fantastic and very up to date on research.

He called the GP who arranged for a GP to call him the same day and then we collected a copy of the results as I wanted them on paper. much easier to understand in paper form.
Best of luck

My husband managed to up his normal forms amount with vitamin D and well man tablets which were recommended by the clinic

Hi there, we are similar situation to you. My 21 day test came back normal, i also had internal ultra sound which showed a polyp which i have now had removed. Husband first SA came back in a week and showed low motility but normal count, they ordered a repeat which he had the week after and the result came back in 2 days and showed low motility again and we were told normal count. This is all on nhs so far and hes been referred to urology specialist. My husband wanted to try vitamins for 3 months to see if it made a difference so he booked a private SA at a private clinic last week as a baseline, the results are due today as he has them done on friday. However, we asked for a copy of the nhs results for both of us and were surprised to find his count is definitely not normal and they didn't ever do a 21 day test on me. so i have that this week and have started to worry about it when i had thought that was done and dusted. On a positive we have recieved the appointment for urology and its 5 weeks after referral which i am so pleased about, i am just a little nervous that we will get there and be told we should have been referred to fertility. but at least its not that long to wait.

I have found the process very emotionally difficult so far, am currently on a 2 week sign off from work by my gp which has helped to some degree but i am due back friday and no idea how i will have the head space and emotional capacity to perform well.

Its a shit journey but these threads are so helpful!

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. DH has been taking wellman tablets for about three months now, so I'm hoping that will help. He's also cut back on caffeine and only has two small cups of tea per day and cut back on alcohol too. He's very slim, doesn't smoke and is fit and healthy so I'm hoping for the best. It doesn't stop the worrying though

lildottie- I'm glad to hear that you've had a positive experience with fertility clinics but so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. That just have been really tough. I hope you get a happy ending soon

Mistletoeprickles (love the name btw!) - thank you, I'll get him to phone the GP in five days time and see if he can get the results on the phone

Lugo40- I hear you! It sucks doesn't it? I'm a complete wreck- I look a mess, I'm not myself at work and I feel so stressed. I'm a teacher so am going to struggle through the next two weeks and then crash. Has your DH had his results? Fingers crossed. I've had issues with the NHS as well. I still haven't had a scan despite the doctor telling me I'd have in two weeks (that was six weeks ago!) Thinking of just going private but not sure if we can afford it. The costs certainly mount up. What do you do as your job? Is it a mentally demanding job so it might off things? Easier said that done, I know. I really hope things get better and you feel better soon

Thanks again all!

I was in your position a year ago and going out of my mind. I went to a reflexologist to calm down and she said a combination of stress and blocked tubes was stopping us. 6 weeks later I was pregnant and now I'm waiting for my little man to arrive.
Of course it will depend on the issue, if there is one, but reflexology is a wonderful thing. At the least it will help you through the stress. Look for a fertility specialist. Good luck.

They may find all is totally normal, but they're looking for 3 things, firstly the number of sperm in the sample, how many look normal and how they move. Any one of those things can affect the probability of getting pregnant.

Thanks angelicjen. I've actually been having reflexology for the past couple of months and it definitely helps with stress. No BFP yet but it's definitely with a go!

Thanks all

(pressed post to soon) thanks all of you for your support. These boards really do help! And massive congratulations angelicjen- that's such good news