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Infertility

Our Infertility Support forum is a space to connect with others in the same position, discuss causes, treatment and IVF, and share infertility stories of hope and success.

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Original poster

Low sperm Count

21 replies

steveomc209 · 01/03/2018 17:30

Hi all!
so it feels posting on here as a man but i figured there will be people here who have gone through this.

I and my wife went for a fertility MoT last Saturday at a private clinic. We have been tryign for over 2 years and had no luck. We got the results on the day and although we my other half needs to lose weight it turns out i am the main problem.

My sperm count is 4 million when it should be at least 15 million and i was told the other 2 factors were also not good. I have been advised to lose a little weight and a healthy lifestyle. I don't drink a great deal and have now cut it out totally. My diet was not good but i have now taken action on this and have cut out cake, biscuits, and chocolate. I am sticking to whole grains and much more fruit and veg. Nuts and spinach as well.

I don't really have hot baths or sauna etc and am now trying to be more active and do 30 mins exercise a day. I am very stress and am going to try to take time out to relax.

My question really is will this help, and has anyone any further advice from experience? We are going back for another sperm test at the end of May.

OP posts:

melissa1215 · 01/03/2018 22:51

Hi :)
My partner has a lower count due to various issues and was suggested by our fertility consultant to Try some vitamins. He takes zinc and vitamin c among others for general health etc.

You seem to be doing everything else perfectly right, good luck and sorry I don't have any more suggestions

JoJoSM2 · 01/03/2018 23:06

You could try Proxeed or Profertil in addition to a healthy diet. It will probably help a bit. Having said that, the average count is 250million...

It would also help to see a urologist specialising in male fertility as fertility clinics can be very female focused with little grasp of male issues.

Original poster

steveomc209 · 02/03/2018 16:59

Thanks.

We have been recommended that i take a supplement for 4 months. It is called Condensyl and only the company who makes it sells it so its not cheap at £165 for the 4 month supply, not cheap but not as expensive as IVF if we had to go for that. Has anyone tried this supplement i have not ordered it yet.

OP posts:

longrd · 03/03/2018 20:35

my husband used proxeed (recommended by our clinic and a private urologist) and it has made a difference.
we still are doing icsi but we have more to use now.
you dont really see a difference until after 4 months use though.

good luck

Original poster

steveomc209 · 14/12/2018 17:59

Well we had more tests in July and my sperm count had increased with the use of these tablets that i am on. But the increase is not going to be enough for there to be much chance of conceiving naturally.

We have kind of let things go as well and both really need to re-focus and look to lose weight. We had a drink the other night out at a new bar and took the time to have a chat about the situation. My wife really does not want to go through the mental, financial and physical strain of IVF.

So its all down to me then? I need to find a way to focus and lose weight and knuckle down to eat right and do everything else.

The main things i hope will work are - losing weight, exercise, stop drinking alcohol, stop caffeine, relaxing more ....that is kind of all i can think of any other ideas?

OP posts:

Donnas146 · 14/12/2018 18:11

Hi @steveomc209
I’m sorry to hear about your fertility issues you are doing everything you can right now and it’s best not to put too much stress on yourself ( easier said than I done I know!)
Me and my husbands infertility is down to him as he has very low sperm count (3 million) and low motility ( we don’t know morph as said was too low to read)
So we both know exactly what you are both going through, can I ask who advised the medication was it a doctor? Just asking as we have only just been referred from our gp to the hospital. I can also understand your wife’s saying she doesn’t want to try ivf because it is very invasive for a woman from what I’ve read. Me and my oh have been trying 7 years so even though I wouldn’t want to I am more than open to ivf know as I doubt we will ever conceive naturally, it is not unheard of though! It only takes one!
Has your wife got any fertility issues? As I’ve also read if it is only male factor then ivf with icsi really does do the job for you and apparently has higher success rates than people with both factors, Good luck to you and please open up to your partner if you need to talk
As my husband doesn’t and I’ve really had to get him to share his feelings about it all which was really hard for him to do but it has made us closer x

MoMandaS · 14/12/2018 18:14

Have they checked to see if you have a varicocele? Correcting that can help a great deal.

Donnas146 · 14/12/2018 18:14

Also to your original question exercise and healthy eating really does help but it did only help my oh a little bit his count was under 2 million and his motility was only 6-8percent from what I can remember on his first test
He then started supplements and exercising and ate a handful of walnuts everyday as well as spinach smoothies and his count only went upto 3 mill but his motility really improved to 36percrnt so overall even if it is only a slight improvement it still does show lifestyle changes do help

Original poster

steveomc209 · 14/12/2018 18:19

hi,

my wife has no fertility issues as such but if we did want to start on ICSI then she would have to get down to the right BMI she seems not to be doing that as she is totally not wanting to go through IVF.
Unfortunately my brother has the same issues but he and his wife are younger so have time on their side they are starting icsi in the new year.

I had said as an incentive that we should book a final fling holiday but we had one of those last year! It depends on if she gets a bonus in the new year she is the main breadwinner!!

OP posts:

Donnas146 · 14/12/2018 18:29

I think my husbands brother has the same issues but they don’t talk about it and don’t know our situation but I do know he was married and they tried for years and they split up and she is now pregnant so I just assume that he might have the same problems as my oh, can I ask if they have found a cause?
Yes a holiday is a great idea! As much time together as possible is a good idea as something as hard as this can take its toll.
Maybe you could both join the gym together or start just by cooking healthier meals. My husband is a rubbish eater and I have to really kick him up the arse to eat well 😂he has really made a commitment lately and we are know relaxing a little over Christmas and then we are both starting the gym again and a healthy regime after Christmas

Donnas146 · 14/12/2018 18:30

It’s also a good idea to have a healthy bmi even if you are both not going to have ivf

goodiegoodieyumyum · 15/12/2018 10:02

My husband had similar issues, let me tell you sometimes miracles do happen, as my now seven year son attests to, my gynaecologist did not believe I was pregnant ( if you saw the look on his face) when we told him, due to my husband's low sperm count and low motiltility, it only takes one sperm. I know it's hard to be told to be relax, but I really think it helped my husband and I we knew there was not much chance of conceiving but we kept trying and I know me being relaxed helped me conceive even though he was he one with the problem.

MuchTooTired · 15/12/2018 10:15

Might sound ridiculous, but do you eat a lot of peas? My dh had a low sperm count and before ivf we went on a get ready for ivf diet. We googled ways to increase low sperm count, and apparently peas can be nature’s contraceptive, cut out peas, ate a lot of walnuts and whatever else the Internet said was good (I’m sorry, I can’t remember!) for a minimum of 90 days before we started, and when he did his next test they asked him to do the test again because his results were fab and they wanted to do additional testing.

We still went ahead with ivf icsi because I had some issues too. He’s convinced it was stopping the peas that worked, but obviously we’ll never know for certain, but our DTs are now 10 months old. Good luck ttc!

Iamneverfull · 21/12/2018 22:20

Please ask to be referred to a Urologist. My partner finally did after 5 years and they found a varicosele. They have operated on it and we are hoping for some success! So many men havd varicoseles and it often is a big cause of poor fertility. Good luck

Wholovesorangesoda · 12/02/2019 20:02

Have you had any further progress @steveomc209?

Original poster

steveomc209 · 21/02/2019 11:09

Hi everyone.

We have not had any progress as such but have moved forward a little. My other half is going to the gym and we are on the path to eating better.
I had a very extensive examination few years ago by a urologist as a result of some testicular pain and a hydrocele this has all been sorted a number of years ago - 2016.
We have been up and down with a number of things and been under pressure. I have been sleeping in the spare room as she says i make too much noise she can hear a pin drop and my hearing is not great.
We have lost a few pounds and tried the 800 calorie diet but could not keep it up.
We need to get into a flow of good habits and keeping it up. I find it hard to express how i feel and to feel that my other half understands this. she is very independent and does not like being asked to help out around the house. I could do more but it tends to be that i either have lots of energy and do a lot or don't do much at all.
Anyway i know we need to move forward and need to do some soul searching myself.
On a brighter ending note we have booked an amazing holiday for September to Mexico - so i am now a little confused about trying for a baby perhaps spend the next few months getting healthy? at least if she gets pregnant we could still go on the holiday as she would not be to far gone?!

OP posts:

Original poster

steveomc209 · 21/02/2019 11:11

i think i meant to say she does not understand!

OP posts:

e11even · 11/01/2023 15:44

Hi op, I know you posted this a while ago but just wondered how you're getting on now? My DH had results back and has a similar count to what you had so I'm just looking for some advice and support really.

LottieLou3 · 24/03/2023 22:23

Hi, I know this thread is a few years old now but wondered how people are getting on? My husband got his sperm count back today and it is 4 million. The practitioner we saw (not a Dr) really didn’t give us any info and we left feeling pretty lost. Just looking for some support/guidance. Find it very hard to tell friends / family at the moment

marshk · 25/03/2023 07:16

LottieLou3 · 24/03/2023 22:23

Hi @LottieLou3 - didn't want to read and run! My husband and I are in a similar situation and there have been a lot of tears! We had a fertility assessment done in December and my husbands analysis came back with really low count. I've done endless reading and listening to podcast and he's on a concoction of various supplements now. He's also stopped drinking caffeine and cut right back on alcohol - not that he had a lot of either anyway but every little helps!

We ended up seeing a private urologist in January who found a varicocele which he thought might be affecting things. My husband has just had surgery to try and fix this so it's just a waiting game for us at the moment. Has the practitioner suggested any further tests?

LottieLou3 · 25/03/2023 08:27

Thanks so much for the reply.

The company the sperm analysis was done through came back recommending further testing for CF, karyotype and Y. Again, we don’t know why and the practitioner didn’t know either! But referred to genetics for the tests. They also mentioned freezing sperm in case of further decline which my husband understandably found upsetting.

We got a message later in the day about being referred to fertility clinic so at least that’s a step in the right direction.

I am surprised that there’s been no mention of my husband having any checks for varicocele as I understand it’s quite a common factor in low sperm count.

would love to hear how you get on and wishing you lots of luck x

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