[lauren5290]

Crob- Thanks so much for understanding. This is really a very difficult situation and most definitely highlights the dfiference b/w men and women. I just have such a hard time understanding how he can NOT worry about this constantly like me. How can he turn it all off?... So where are you all right now? I don't konw much about the med's for men. Why are they prescribed for your dh? To boost sperm production before his tese? If so it seems mine should be on it too., but our md said nothing about it...

,
Lauren

[cubby14]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd chime in on the DS discussion. My Dh and I have discussed it briefly also, and I just feel like I'd rather have the same biological connection as my dh, all or nothing. But, the more I've thought about it, if things worked out where I had to use donor eggs with dh's sperm, I don't think I would have a problem with that because I would feel like I had my "biological" connection by giving birth. Does that make any sense???

BTW we've also talked about donor embryos...

all rather premature talk since he hasn't even had his biopsy yet..

[crob]

lauren, my dh kind of has a different type of azoospermia (we think). see, he was diagnosed with low testosterone and at that time, the dr just checked his LH levels and they were normal (it drives me nuts that we'll never know what his FSH levels were, but i guess that can't be helped now). anyway, they started him on testosterone injections (even though i strongly questioned that b/c the internet said it could hurt fertility and we'd just started ttc). well, we tried and tried and i finally convinced them to order a SA. which was zero. they sent us to dr. lipshultz at baylor in houston and he said, i just don't understand why all these dr's went through medical school and none of them realize that when you give a man testosterone, his body stops making anything to do with testosterone and that includes sperm. so, he stopped the testosterone injections and started dh on HCG injections which mimic LH which makes your body make its own testosterone which should restart sperm production. it just takes a while b/c guys make sperm in 60-72 day cycles. i think for us the best case scenario would be that everything gets back to normal and we can get pg naturally, but i honestly don't think i can wait 1-2 yrs for that to happen, so if we can make enough for an insemination, i'll prob encourage them to let us do that. i'm not sure which situations make the HCG a viable option for treatment. there's a chart buried off in our dr's website somewhere that says it's used to treat hypotrophic hypogonadism. sorry that was so long winded.

hope everything went well today, mel!

[melarooni17]

Hey everyone - Sorry it has been a few days since I posted. I had ER yesterday and it went very well. They retrieved 10 eggs. We got a phone call this morning telling us that 8 were mature, and they used ICSI on all 8... and 4 fertilized. So, we are very pleased with the results. We now have to keep our fingers crossed that they keep growing over the next 2 days. My ET is tentatively on the schedule for 10 or 11 on Friday morning. ER wasn't bad. I had mild...very mild cramping right afterwards, but a few heat packs and I felt pretty good. Later on last night it was a little sore to walk, but bearable. Hubby is doing a lot better. Able to walk around some more. He is doing really well. So, that is basically it!! We just wait for a call tomorrow to see how the little munchkins are doing Kinda neat!! Kinda scary/weird, but really cool at the same time.

We talked about DS, but we were both very convinced to go against the decision of using it. We looked up some of the sperm banks, but the thought of random college kids giving a "deposit" for money really turned our stomachs. I don't want to sway anyone's decision, but it was scary for us to think that some kid was trying to make some extra money and he would technically be the biological father of our child. Everyone has different opinions of it, but that is just our opinion. I know now that there is a very good chance of finding sperm. I mean, I think everyone on this forum has had a successful TESE. Our decision if we didn't have a successful TESE would be to adopt. I am not trying to jump the gun, bc we are no where near out of the woods yet.

Karen/Jen, How are the stims going??

JenD, you go soon for your Day 3 right?? Then you start stims?? Best of luck to you this time!!

I'm going to try to get some more rest for now. I keep reading, and I will update tomorrow or Friday with everything going on!! Talk to you all soon!

[crob]

yay mel!! how exciting!! grow embies grow!!

how many will they transfer? will you freeze the others for later? how does that work? take it easy, relax, and get some good mojo going so you'll be ready for friday. good luck and congrats on your successes so far.

[baby407]

Hello Everyone and Welcome Newbies!!!

Our group is growing so quickly and largely .....glad you guys found us it has helped me trendmously so ask away

Mel- I am so happy to hear from you I was waiting patiently to hear your great news!!! Thinks for all the details about the ER I am sure it will be helpful for many of us. Hope you and DH continue to feel better and those embies continue to grow big and strong. Please keep us posted. Many prayers

Jen D- Did AF show up yet?

As far as DS goes it is truely a personal decision and something you and DH have to decide together. Look at the pros and cons and especially if it something you are going to be able to accept whole heartedly. For us I decided if it isn't my DH's then my journey will end. I was fortunate (looking at it now) to have my son at a very early age and I thank God I have him everyday. My DH has not had that experience and so that is why we are trying. Good luck with your decision.

Pinkflowermx- your wife should be seen by a reproductive endocrinologist even if everything is normal for her she will still need to prepare herself for IVF if needed. Good luck

As for me I had my U/S and BW today I have 6 follicles on the left and 4 on the right. I go back on Friday with no change to my meds. I am becoming a pro at giving myself shots but I am hating them more and more each day. I am so bloated and I feel so fat!!! But it is all going to be worth it!!!!

I have a question and I hope it is not to personal if you want to PM me the answer that is fine I am just trying to figure it out since noone has told me the answer but when should be the last day me and DH have XXX before the tese I thought I read somewhere 2-3 days prior does anyone know. Sorry if TMI but I really want to make sure I do everything right

Hello to Everyone talk to you soon

[J*e*n*_78]

Hi everyone!!

Mel!That is great news!! Sounds like everything is going perfect!! Take it easy - you and DH!

Baby- sounds like everything is going great for you too!! And as for your question I think it is 2-3 days before!

pinkflowermx! Can you ask your urologist to try a TESE? They will look in more areas of the testes for sperm and may find some motile ones? Good luck with everything!

As for me...... My stims either arent working or my ovaries are being very stubborn. I am trying not to lose it right now. My estradiol level apparently isnt rising above 20 like they want. It has to rise for me to even get to have an US to see if anything is happening. They bumped up my stims to 300 the next 3 nights and dropped lupron to 5 units. I reallly really don't want to cry and just pray somehow it will work. The nurse also told me we may still need to use DS for backup if DH's sperm arent motile at thaw. My heart is hurting! But I will try to stay positive.Thanks for listening!

[hellokitty]

Mel! Glad to hear ER went well Your embies will grow and you will be REALLY SOON! So how does this work? Once they do ET, how long before you find out if you are pregnant?

Are you cycling at cornell?

[hellokitty]

Jen_78,

We will be PRAYING for you! It will all work out in the end If they found 50 sperm, some will be fully motile! Can't wait to hear the good news

[crob]

jen78, i'm so sorry...that sucks. it's so not fair that you've had to deal with dh's fertility issues and then to have something like that happen. i hope everything gets on track and those numbers go up up up where they want them. go estradiol! as for that nurse saying that about dh's sperm...what the h*ll was she thinking? why would she even feel the need to throw something so negative in the mix? i mean, obviously you're prepared for the worst case scenarios, but there's no reason to add extra burdens to your emotions. geez...i think some people in this world are just pessimistic or unhappy or something and either don't think about how their outlooks affect those around them or aren't empathetic to others' feelings. if she has such a problem being empathetic, she shouldn't have been a nurse. you just call her "nurse meanie" in your head next time and ignore her. i refuse to believe there won't be at least 10 good swimmers in there if they found 50 the first time around. good luck to you!

[J*e*n*_78]

Thanks hellokitty and crob...

[baby407]

Jen 78- thanks for answering the question sorry to hear about your ovaries misbehaving I will pray for them to get the party started . And like Crob said sometimes people don't realize what they are saying try to focus only on the positive comments and leave all the negatives in the dust YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY of swimmers when they are called to perform. Good luck and keep us updated on the ovaries rise rise rise!!

[melarooni17]

Just a quick update...I just got a call from the embyrologist...we have all 4 growing still...1 is a 5 cell, 1 is 3 cell and 2 are 2 cell. She said that everything is looking great and is perfectly normal. A nurse will call me later on with ET time for tomorrow.

Jen78 - you will have plenty of sperm!! I just know it. As long as they monitor you closely, they should be able to increase/decrease your meds appropriately. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!! Just try to relax and not get too stressed out. As for the DS issue...how did you react when she said that?? The nurses are suppose to be your cheerleaders!!! Not discourage you! Keep your chin up!

Karen - So glad to hear that the shots are going well. They aren't too bad once you get used to them. I just started on the Progesterone last night and DH did it..He did a great job and I barely felt it, but boy do I feel it this morning. My butt got really sore right away!! Hopefully it will get better!!

Have a great Thursday everyone!!

[crob]

that's great mel! grow embies grow! how many are you going to transfer tomorrow?

[baby407]

Mel- great news. Praying for them all to grow. Good luck!