Has anyone had a successful pregnancy while partner has been on testosterone injections?

[Emalou_31]

Hello,

Not too sure how to approach this subject but here it goes...

My partner and I have been trying to conceive for over a year now I’m 31 and my partner is 44, I have had all my tests done which have come back fine (I will be honest I do have four children from a previous relationship and he has only the one child that did take a awhile to conceive and I will just add he was not on TRT at this point) My partner is going for a semen analysis and I know it will just confirm what we already know which is the TRT injections have made him infertile.

I have done so much research on Nebido injections (used to treat low testosterone) and within my research it has stated that if a man wished to maintain fertility then HCG or HMG injections should be commenced, something my partner was never made aware of or even the fact the injections would make him infertile, it was only when he finally told me he was on TRT that I informed him he was likely to be infertile and the look on his face was heartbreaking as all he has ever wanted was more children with the right person.

My only concern is will we be able to persuade the NHS to fund HCG/HMG or is this something that we will have to fund ourselves. We are paying privately for a semen analysis as we do not see a fertility specialist until September and that appointment is just to discuss what’s next for us.

We are so grateful for the children we have and count our blessings that they are in our lives and no matter what happens we will always have each other. However, to be able to give my partner that chance to father another child would be the cherry on top.

I’m so sorry for such the long winded post and I really appreciate any response of any journeys you have been on whilst a partner is on TRT. Thank you for reading. xx

[Billywhizz10]

Its a catch 22 situation. Around the time I was getting tested as nothing was happening when my wife and I were naturally trying, the doctors discovered I had a low sperm count, they think it was due to some trauma I had 'downstairs' through a sporting accident. They said normally I should be on TRT , but ironically, if I'm trying to have kids it wasn't a good idea.

The good news if he stops it should kick in for his body that his testosterone levels are down and his testes to start producing and in theory his sperm count and quality should go up.

These days there's ICSI ( what we have) where they only need to find 1 sperm which is placed directly into the egg. Your still young so your eggs and as long as he's producing some sperm , you have a good chance. Also even if his count is zero, there are procedures where they get the sperm direct from the testes, this has worked for men with zero count , so don't give up hope.

I would check with your local NHS, as while our local authority gave us 1 free go, having kids would have disqualified us. Realistically I think you'll struggle to find one that gives free treatment for women who have children.

Best of luck to you

[Billywhizz10 in reply to Billywhizz10]

Sorry just re-read your post and getting injections for treatment was available to me (on the nhs) , but the urologist figured I'd be better off just going through IVF ( and not putting me on trt with injections to compensate) .

Its a grey area, and as its for men, it should pass through as it doesn't come under the normal IVF funding

[Emalou_31 in reply to Billywhizz10]

Thank you for replying. He had a semen analysis done yesterday which just confirmed what we already knew (zero sperm).

I did check the criteria for our local NHS and both of us will not be entitled to IVF.

So fingers crossed we can go down the HCG route (even if we have to pay).

It’s a long road ahead and I’m praying we have a good Dr on our side.

We are debating as to whether he should have his next injection done (due in August) I just don’t want him to be back in the place he was before he started TRT, but my partner wants to do anything to help us conceive.

Thank you again for replying, I really appreciate it.

[Billywhizz10 in reply to Emalou_31]

Hoping the best for you. There's still a good chance they can get sperm direct from his testes with PESA or TESA procedure, in the worst case if you had to do IVF. Hopefully you don't need any of that.

[Cinderella5]

Sorry I cant help with the TRT/HMG thing. In Scotland they relaxed the laws that if one person didnt have a biological child then funding was given for fertility treatment but when you both have children there isnt usually funding given. However Im not sure how this is affected for him being prescribed meds as opposed to IVF/ICSI. My hubby had a very low sperm count and said it was likely to diminish through time but wasnt given anything to help as they said there wasnt anything that could be done, they think his is down to childhood trauma downstairs. Good luck, hopefully once you see the fertility specialist that you get all the info that you need!xx

[Emalou_31 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you for your reply. It’s madness how one country on the same island has different criteria’s to others, I’m sorry to hear about your hubby, that must be difficult to hear. I have done so much research and it’s frustrating that other countries are more clued up about male fertility yet the UK is still back in the dark ages & focus more on the women’s fertility as it seems that the women are to blame for not being able to conceive, this is how I felt when I had all my testing done, which all came back fine.

I will keep updating this post once my partner has seen the consultant, in the hope I can help other people going through a similar situation.

Thank you again for replying, I really appreciate it xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Emalou_31]

Yes it would be great to hear how you get on! Best of luck!xx