What to try Next??

[NurseLauren]

Looking for those that have had success. My husband does not have good sperm and I haven’t had success with AI.......where do you go from here or do you just give up?

[Nat246]

Hi Lauren you don’t need to give up unless you want to. Lots of other options. There’s lots of things hubby can do to improve sperm like diet, supplements and lifestyle. Has he seen a urologist to see if there are any physical issues that can be fixed? There’s also ICSI treatment. Good luck.

[Marmo in reply to Nat246]

I'm with you. IVF is not as scary as it seems. I was super nervous as well, but I think it’s the unknown that’s scary. I found the injection process for IVF much easier than for IUI. Mainly because the IVF injections are subcutaneous and the needled are tiny. My IUI injections were painful, intramuscular and the needles were so much longer. They also stung a lot. The retrieval was the most difficult process, as you don’t know how you will recover until you’re there. They put you under and you don’t feel a thing. You just wake up when it’s all done and I woke up sore and in pain. I was super sore and in pain for a few days. But many others recover quickly and go back to work the next day. Transfer is super quick and painless. Overall, the process is a bit longer than with IUI but I found it easier in some ways. I didn’t throw up from the drugs or have any other crazy side effects. The worst side effect is being super bloated the closer you get to your retrieval and then recovering after it. IVF with donor eggs is yet another thing. We did it time ago at BTC, Ukraine. Everything seems the same as for meds and supplements, but this is another woman who is responsible for nice quality eggs producing not you. No egg retrieval – no extra pain you have to go through. Though the emotional side is pretty tough from the beginning of the process. All in all we are to be thankful we’ve got so many options today to fulfill our dream of becoming parents. And this is the main point! Wish you all the best of luck with your ttc & possible treatments and lots of baby dust X

[AndreiaTrigoRN]

There’s lots to do if you want to continue trying! Maybe having some tests, with a urologist to figure out the cause of sperm problems. These might be able to be corrected or you might be able to have ICSI. There’s lots of info about male factor here efp.clinic/course/module-1/...

[andylins]

I’m sorry to hear about your struggling.

To be successful with the ivf treatment one should definitely trust the clinic and its staff. This is the most important choice in the whole process. Huge number of clinics all over the world offer treatments for infertile couples and their database, facilities, time frames differ much. For many couples (for us too) ivf shots were also a financial matter. We were looking for affordable prices in the area but the initial choice was wrong. I guess we made it in haste. We passed 2 ivf rounds, paid out of the pocket and got no result. Facing this outcome we began looking onto ivf overseas. Soon we found ourselves in Ukrainian BTC clinic. Their package prices were even lower we expected. Furthermore they offer contracts covering you from loosing your money. This means uaranteed refund in case of failures. We believe this is the huge pro for a clinic to be that sure of the outcome. We passed DE IVF program with them and are extremelly happy with our little one. One has to make careful researches with clinics and their options before starting treatment. Talking to people on forums is so much helpful.

[Karinyaa in reply to andylins]

Hi @andylins. Praying day and night this new experience will be sooth and successful for all lovelies here too. I felt really special about using Ukrainian clinic. This is because many people on different forms shared their success stories with them. For some it took more than 1 att. But it happens to absolutely all clinics. Also I'm not sure their donors are there for money matter only. I guess ladies are willing to share a bit of themselves do have different point on the process. Though this doesn't bother me that much really. The main thing is that they offer nice healthy eggs I cannot produce myself. And I sincerely needed them and was extremely thankful for them. No matter why they're doing this. Our 1st app showed us a lot. We met other couples there and got more insight. Thus the political situation in the country was not one of the best to put it mildly. I guess this is only eastern part of it.. Consider the main issue, not all of them. You won't see war with your own eyes there, surely. Wishing you all the best on your way.

[Karinyaa]

I’m sorry luv. I don't know much about you med history. So this might be helpful too, if you seek help together with a partner, a fertility doc will more likely want him to pass the following. (This is what they want male partners to pass in BTC, Ukraine, where we applied for DE IVF):

Semen analysis. Your doctor may ask for one or more semen specimens. A lab analyzes your semen specimen. In some cases, sperm may be tested for in the urine.

Hormone testing. You may have a blood test to determine the level of testosterone and other male hormones.

Genetic testing. Genetic testing may be done to determine whether there's a genetic defect causing infertility.

Testicular biopsy. In select cases, a testicular biopsy may be performed to identify abnormalities contributing to infertility and to retrieve sperm to use with assisted reproductive techniques, such as IVF.

In certain situations, imaging studies such as a brain MRI, bone mineral density scan may be performed.

Other specialty testing. In rare cases, other tests to evaluate the quality of the sperm may be performed, such as evaluating a semen specimen for DNA abnormalities.