[red777]

Hi, I'm new here. I guess I'm looking for some advice /support from someone in a similar situation.

After a year of trying for a baby with no success, we got the results of my husband's sperm test yesterday to discover to our utter horror the words "azoospermia, absence of sperm" on the results sheet. At that point our dreams came crashing down and after spending all evening, all night and most of this morning crying desperately thinking that life is cruel and we will never have children of our own, I got to the point i had no more tears left in me (for the moment) and started to search for some golden nugget of hope on the internet. Is it really possible that a man with no sperm in his ejaculate can father a child? I've seen something about a biopsy and sperm aspiration from the testicles and different types of azoospermia. I guess we'll have to go through all this to find out what the cause is and if there is a glimmer of hope and my husband is producing sperm cells, but they're not getting out, then i saw something about ICSI. At the moment i really don't know whether to have hope or not. We have to wait until september before we can get a first appointment at a fertility centre.

I wonder if the problem comes from having undescended testicles as a baby and if there really is an answer for us. Has anybody had any experiences in this area? PLease let me know, i am desperate for information and september seems like such a long time to wait. I know that we will absolutely not consider going abroad for donor sperm(we live in Italy where this is impossible anyway): if i can't have a baby with my husband then I don't want it to be anybody else's as i love him too much.

If you are religious, please pray for us as i think we might need a miracle.

[lovingwife]

to the forum. I don't have a similiar situation, but I wanted to point out a section of the forum about azoospermia. There are a bunch of great ladies that hang out on this thread. I'm sure they would be happy to help. Best of luck!! Check out this link below.

Azoospermia

[knjsims323]

Hello. I'm very sorry to hear about your sad news. I have a little (and I do mean very little) experience in this area as my DH just got the same dx. The first thing his doctor did was repeat the SA the following week (make sure he doesn't ejaculate for 48 hours prior). He also made him have a urine test (to check for sperm in the urine and any infections), blood work (to include FSH, LH, and testosterone), and he also did a culture to check for infections. Our first step before a RE (reproductive endocrinologist i.e. fertility specialist) was to see a urologist. The first thing he did was say he wanted to wait a full month after antibiotic treatments and then repeat the SA. He also did a physical exam, and said that if the next SA came back with the same results, they would do a scrotal and rectal u/s.

So like I said, I have very little experience as of yet, but at least you can know there are others going through the same problems..

I wish you two the best of luck!

[red777]

Thanks for the tips. We've been fortunate enough to see a fertility specialist privately and he's given us loads of tests to do including a repeat first diagnosis, but i've not heard of the urine test after (i will ask about it). The doctor told us the only way if all the tests go ok and after an eventual biopsy they find something to work with, is to do ICSI. Unfortunately the problem seems to be linked to undescended testes as a baby, which were corrected at 6 and 8 years of age, but they have to find out exactly what the cause is and if he actually produces any sperm at all. We can only pray that they find something as it is our only hope of a child of our own.
Thanks for replying, i appreciate it.
Good luck yourselves.....i pray for everyone out there who wants to have their own child and is going through difficulties.

[hopefulfor#2]

Hi there - I SO know that feeling of "crash!" when you hear no sperm. My husband was diagnosed with colitis 2yrs ago, and apparently a side effect of that condition is azoospermia.
I must say, while this whole process has been trying & tense to say the least, I have been hopeful by what Drs are telling us.
DH just finished 90 days taking Clomid, in hopes that the hormones would trigger sperm production. This works for some (maybe your husband!), but not us.
Our next step is a procedure called TESE, where they surgically go in looking for sperm. We've scheduled that surgery and fingers crossed we'll find something.
Hang in there, don't be freaked out by the word azoospermia. Just bc sperm isn't traveling to the ejaculate doesn't mean there's no sperm. There are ways for them to get the sperm out. Find a good Urologist and have your husband start there - some Urologists specialize in male infertility. Good luck!!!!!

[babybearjmd]

It is definitely not hopeless! Go and visit the Azoo thread. All of the girls on that thread including myself have husband's with azoospermia. There are several of us that are pregnant after IVF with ICSI. It is a long, emotional process, but you can have your little one.
I'm sorry you and you spouse have this diagnosis. It is very tough. It does get better. Good luck.