[a103war]

I appreciate all the feedback. I wanted to give everyone an update.

Last week I meet with a urologist that specializes in male infertility (actually a woman doctor). She gave a complete physical examination and has scheduled an ultrasound (end of next week). She also ordered another SA. My counts were slightly improved (concentration was up to 19 million but my motility and morphology were still below normal levels) from my SA in the beginning of August.

She has narrowed it down to one of three causes. 1.) Recurrence of my varicocele (I had it repaired when I was younger) 2.) Lingering effects from an SSRI I stopped taking in late July. 3.) No explanation (she said that 20% of her patients have no clinical explanation for low sperm counts.

My hormone levels were perfect and I had negative results from genetic defects (Y deletion and karotype).

She did notice heaviness on my scrotum cord, which could signal a varicocele return. The ultrasound should conclusively determine. I was also very fortunate to see this urologist as she is currently leading a clinical study into the effect of SSRI's on semen quality. She believes that some men experience lower sperm quality due to them taking SSRI's (it impacts sperm transport not production), and that it can take up to 1 to 2 months for their counts to return to normal after stopping the drug.

The urologist and our RE are now discussing what the next step should be. Because we are still young (I'm 29 and my wife is 30) we believe that we should wait until the results of the ultrasound, and possibly one additional SA if the ultrasound does not show a varicocele to see if after 2 months the SSRI was the cause, before making a final decision to move to IVF. Maybe I'm in self-denial that my sperm counts are low but if they do return to normal then the last two IUI cycles we have had were severally hindered.

I truly do feel for everyone else on this site. This has been extremely trying and requires an unfair amount of patience and positive thinking.

[mrsrodgers]

I just wanted to say Good Luck and how good it is that you are proactive....I know it is a tough journey but in the end it will be worth it!!!!

[runrbaby]

OK. You may know b/c you are further along in this process than we are. My DH has a varicocele and we just got his SA results. My question is: on the comments section it says "the above count and motility is based on ten spermatozoa" Isn't that the same as sperm??? What exactly is "ten spermatozoa"??

[a103war]

Found out that I have a varicocele on my left and right side (ultrasound was conclusive). Left side is larger (grade II???), and the right side is considered small, but still clinically significant. Urologist will repair both sides (during the same surgery). Not happy with the news but at least we have an opportunity to fix the problem. Not looking forward to the surgery (I hate having my blood drawn!). Our RE and urologist are both optimistic that the surgery will have positive results.

We will still go forward with IVF ISCI, but are still working on the paperwork w/ our insurance company.

Looking forward to talking to other members that have varicocele surgery and if they (or their significant others) had positive results.