[Erin586]

hi everyone:

my DH and i have been ttc for 2 years. may dh had a SA done in april of 2008, the findings suggested that my dh had 6% morphology. the RE that we were seeing at the time mentioned that it 'could' be indicitive of a varicocele. we never investigated further because the dr. presented it as a non-issue. a year later, i sought out a second opinion assuming that i had the IF issues. this dr. did a SA on the Strict Scale(kruger) and it revealed significant problems with morphology and decreased motility. we have been working with a fertility urologist and he did another SA on the WHO scale the results were: 10% morphology (30% is normal) adn 25% motility(50% is normal). he gave us 3 options: 1.) proxeed for 3 months then come back for SA 2.) same as 1 and also varicocele repair surgery in both the right and left testicle 3.) IVF with ICSI.

we have been weighing our options and are prepared to move forward with IVF with ICSI but i am wondering if my dh should have the surgery also. i want to optimize our chances but don't want to have the surgery if it will not be much of a difference. i have been reading and some couples have said 'no change' others have said 'very helpful'

can you please share your experiences/thoughts with me?

[gpap2k]

Hi

I had the same surgery that you are thinking about right now. My wife and I are still TTC (second IUI cycle) but I believe the surgery was helpful and to be honest I feel more comfortable down there. My levels did improve about 4 months after the surgery.

The surgery itself is painful though....He will have to take at least 3 days off work and will be stuck in bed for most of that time. But if I didn't do the surgery, I would always wonder if I really did all I could to give my wife a baby. I wasn't ok with that.

Greg

[CaribbeanQueen]

My hubby had a varicocele repair after our first two IVFs failed. Our RE and urologist told us that we would still have to have a TESE (testicular biopsy to retrieve sperm) but that removing the blockages would help improve his quality. My DH's numbers were extremely low--there were only 4 sperm in his first SA, and they were not motile at all...

In some instances, the varicocele repair itself will improve quality/quantity enough that you may not have to have IVF. Three months after the procedure, your hubby will have a repeat SA to check his counts, etc.

In all, my DH had 3 TESEs... We have two wonderful daughters!

Best wishes to you!

[Erin586]

thank you so much for your responses. i am meeting with a new RE next week and will discuss what he thinks we should do based on my DH's results.

caribbean queen: did you have ICSI with your failed IVF's?

gpap2k: thank you for your response.i am glad you are feeling better after the surgery. my dh has varicocele in both the right and left testicle both considered a level 2. we will see what the RE recommends.

[anne1140]

I was about to post the same question, but saw this.

DH was told he has a varicocele today (level 1). He also did blood work and is scheduled to go back for a semen analysis in 6 weeks. I swear, if it weren't for all these long waits in between doctor visits, we'd be pregnant by now!

We're considering the varicocele repair to see if it will help or not. At least that would be covered by insurance, where IVF is not.

Anyone else have experience with this?

[Erin586]

hi anne:

after meeting with the new RE, we have decided against the repair. we are going to have IVF with ICSI and the RE said based on my dh's numbers that the repair was not necessary.

also, when we met with the fertility urologist to follow-up on my dh's tests (scrotal ultrasound, blood work, and semen analysis) that one of our options was to move forward with IVF/ICSI. we could have done the surgery to optimize our success but from what i understood, following the surgery there was really a 9 month wait to see results. they will tell you 3 months because a sperm sample is telling of the male for a 90 day period. for example, my dh had elevated white blood cells indicating infection. this was due to a fever/sinus infection that dh had 2 months before. so the 3 month period is the soonest that you will be able to see results, however, it takes several more months to see the FULL results of the repair. sometimes within that time frame, the varicocele can return.

i think that the repair surgery will be covered by insurance if the male has pain/discomfort associated with the disorder. otherwise, it is just considered a fertility issue and not covered by insurance if you don't have a fertility benefit. most ins companies do not cover ivf. our insurance does not cover IVF but does cover the meds, blood work, ultra sounds, and office visits, saving us quite a bit on money. we are ending up paying $9,100.00. $1200.00 iof this is for the ICSI (you would want to have this for male factor infertility), $800 for embryo freezing, and $250 of this amount is for sedation.

good luck with everything...let me know if you have any questions that i can be of help with.

is your dh working with a 'fertility urologist?'

[anne1140]

Originally Posted by Erin586

is your dh working with a 'fertility urologist?'

Yes, he is. The only one in the area.

We will probably wait and see what the doctor recommends. If he recommends the surgery, we will go for it. There's always the chance that the varicocele won't return, and even if we have to do IVF for the first, I would like to think that we might not have to worry about it in the future.

Although I'm not positive, I think the varicocele repair would still be covered by our insurance. They told us over the phone that they cover surgery, doctor visits, blood work, and ultrasounds, but nothing else. Basically, anything diagnostic. If it turns out this surgery wouldn't be covered, I'm sure it would have an influence on what we decide to do.

[Erin586]

hi anne:

oops....i am sorry if my message had a negative connotation, i didn't mean to be insensitive and appologize if i was. trust me, it was a long and mulled-over decision that we struggled with but in the end it was just best for us to proceed this way.

we received the test results in april so we have had more time to deal with it but when we first found out i was a wreck. i am feeling better now and i am just trying to remain as hopeful as possible that this will work for us.