New to all this and don’t know where to start? Advice please!

[Jesmond17]

Hi,

I’m looking for some advice on my partners low sperm count.

We have been happily together now for a couple of years and both of us would love nothing more than to have a child.

We have never used protection the whole time we have been together and have never once conceived.

He had a sperm count test done quite a few years back and the result was 6 million. He is 35 this year and as he’s getting older it bothers me that his sperm count will be reducing? I have Type 1 diabetes and my sugar levels are unstable at the moment so I need to get control of that before we can get referred for any treatment.

Has anybody or does anyone know if the nhs would consider freezing the sperm until we was ready or would we have to fund this ourselves?

(Neither of us have any children from previous relationships)

Appreciate any help in giving me some guidance on where to start, thanks

At 35 your partner is still young. I'm not british and not an nhs expert but to the best of my knowledge, they don't offer freezing unless your partner is about to undergo chemo or other necessary medical treatment that would strongly impact his fertility.

Do you have a specific reason to think his sperm count would be decreasing over the next few years ?

Is he doing everything he can to improve his sperm (vitamins, no alcohol, no super hot baths, loose underwear, etc) ?

If you absolutely want his sperm frozen it may be possible privately, but make sure that is necessary first as this is money you may want to use for other treatment. 6 millions isn't great but it's not the worst either, did they check morphology and motility ? Have you thought about what you'd do with the sperm (IUI, IVF, Icsi ?)

What about you, have you had any fertility investigations done ? I'm not expert but a friend of mine is diabetic and she mentioned it can have an impact on fertility. Also have you tried tracking your cycle to check whether you ovulate and make sure you're having sex at the right time ?

Treatment can be so hard and expensive and emotionally draining, so it's really a good idea to get the full picture before investing anything, emotionally or financially. Sorry if you already knew all this and I hope someone comes along soon who can tell you more about sperm freezing.

You need to go and visit the GP initially. It is likely that either one or both of you have problems here relating to fertility.

Apart from having up to date test results (and any test result done over 6 months ago should be discounted) you need a diagnosis of the underlying problems first and foremost, rather than just thinking about freezing semen. You're getting well ahead of yourself here.

As a couple both of you should start fertility investigations and at the stage you're at now you are well beyond trying things like vitamins and OPKs. Forget too all this about having sex at the right time; timed intercourse often does more harm than good to a relationship as well.

You will need to be persistent in order to get answers.