We got a letter in the mail today from Dr P (that is so not an original nickname for a urologist is it?) that was kind of a summary of where we are. We FINALLY got DH's exact second SA and testosterone results from late April:
1.7 cc total
5.2 million per cc
Motility 20%
3% shaped normally.
Now this to me seems to me like a marked improvement over his first SA 4 weeks prior to that -
1.5 cc total
4 million per cc
Motility 10%
0% shaped normally.
Also his testosterone went from around 180 up to 285 (I think anything above 300 is normal).
SO...what now?
Dr P says that we could try putting DH on clomid for 3 months and then retesting...I guess it is known to sometimes improve SA numbers...BUT research doesn't prove why. So putting my husband on a medicine that causes mood swings (god help me if his moods become any more unstable) and hot flashes to possibly improve numbers in some unknown way? Is this wise?
Does anyone have any information or experience in this matter? And are these numbers really so awful that I can't hope for a surprise pregnancy some time? Or at least to hope to get things good enough for iui and avoid the expense and toil of IVF?
1.7 cc total
5.2 million per cc
Motility 20%
3% shaped normally.
Now this to me seems to me like a marked improvement over his first SA 4 weeks prior to that -
1.5 cc total
4 million per cc
Motility 10%
0% shaped normally.
Also his testosterone went from around 180 up to 285 (I think anything above 300 is normal).
SO...what now?
Dr P says that we could try putting DH on clomid for 3 months and then retesting...I guess it is known to sometimes improve SA numbers...BUT research doesn't prove why. So putting my husband on a medicine that causes mood swings (god help me if his moods become any more unstable) and hot flashes to possibly improve numbers in some unknown way? Is this wise?
Does anyone have any information or experience in this matter? And are these numbers really so awful that I can't hope for a surprise pregnancy some time? Or at least to hope to get things good enough for iui and avoid the expense and toil of IVF?
My husband has been on Clomid for the past 8 months. His sperm count went tripled in the first 3 months. His motility and morphology also improved. And, I am not sure why you're saying that you can't find research to support this. The research that our doctor showed us was pretty conclusive. Clomid tricks the male's brain into thinking it's not producing enough testosterone...and so the body produces more (which helps in the production of sperm).
ReplyDeleteAs for the side effects, I was actually rather pleased with the results on that front. My husband didn't have mood swings, in fact he seems to be a generally more happy person. He was "in the mood more" and actually had more energy. The only negative that I could detect was that his skin broke out like when he was a teenager.
Before you do a dIUI or ICSI, give Clomid a chance. There's no real harm in giving it three months. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about Clomid...I have been through it!
PS: Should your husband decide to take the Clomid...always take it in the morning! It has a better chance of working (according to our doctor) if taken before anything else happens.
Unfortunately, I don't know what the effects are...no help. But I have certainly seen some miracles in this journey!
ReplyDeleteMy DH was put on Clomid for 3 months early last year to help improve his testosterone, too. He didn't have any real side affects that I noticed (he can be moody anyway!). And as for the results, he didn't really improve his numbers all that much. The change was not significant enough to continue. So, for us, it ended up being a waste of 3 months and an extra SA. We still did 3 IUIs first anyway and then moved on to IVF - so who knows?! Each person is different, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you!