This can't be right

[WishIWasAMummy]

Hello :) I'm new here, and I found these forums while searching for somewhere to vent my frustration, confusion and disappointment :(

My husband and I have been TTC for over 2 years now with no success. We tried several doctors, all of which basically turned as away and said to keep trying because we had 'time on our side'. Finally, we were taken seriously and referred to a fertility speciaist who ordered bloods, hormone analysis and semen analysis. I have PCOS (which I already knew) which causes somewhat irregular periods. But we just found out hubby has less then half the sperm he should and that they are slow swimmers. The specialists said our only option is IVF.

That can't be right. He didn't even suggest we try other methods first before throwing in excess of $8000 away on a treatment that may or may not work. I'm so confused and know there MUST be an answer out there, but I don't even know where to start looking :(

Help?

[LillyPonds]

:wave: WishIWasAMummy

I'm not a Dr or a specialist but I would say that if you have sperm issues then IVF is the best solution.

There are things you can try to get your DH sperm quality a little better. You can start him on Menevit. Some have had success on that.

You should ask this question in the IVF section. There are lots of ladies who have this same problem and they may have some ideas on alternatives for you.

It is a shock to be told you'll need IVF when you have dreams of doing it naturally. Good luck. Feel free to vent here anytime we all do it lol.

[kiki07]

Also check out Chinese medicine or naturopathy, I know a few couples who have had great success with Chinese medicine to get their bodies in peak position, get pregnant, maintain the pregnancy and have bubs now to prove it.

good luck

[minimouse]

Hello WishIWasAMummy,

From my own experience I would get a second opinion if you don't agree with what your specialist tells you.
I have pcos and it took us 3 1/2years of confusion and heartache to concieve. And I am about to start the journey again.

Though it did take me awhile to find a specialist who was good to talk to about different options and also why she/he believed we should try one procedure over another. Also ask as many questions as you can, I brought a notepad and wrote it all down lol. DH thought I was a little nutty. But I was so caught up and emotional I would forget things.

It can be confusing and frustrating especially when you want something so badly. But stay strong.
I wish you and your partner the best of luck, and look forward to hearing your success story.

[MagicMud]

Hi WishIWasAMummy

My DH had average sperm count, but crappy sperm quality, we weren't advised of any alternatives to try either. However I read up about supplements and got him started on these:

Menevit
Co Enzyme Q10
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Zinc
Omega oils

And after taking those supplements for 2-3 months, his SA improved a LOT!
He's morphology tripled and overall motility shot up to over 60%

The best improvement was with sperm count. Which went from 40 million/mL to a rocketing high 168 million/mL.

I was really surprised by how much supplements helped, so that's something you could try as well, even if you do decide to do IVF anyway.