Hello Everyone. My husband & I have been trying to conceive since 5 years with no luck. We have been to see a fertility specialist and have had all the tests. The doctors can't find anything wrong with me and my husband has low volume & low motility. We are on our 5th cycle of Clomid with no luck and I don't know what to do next....can someone give me some direction and I wanted to know if it will even be possible to get pregnant. I know we have a long road ahead of us just by reading some of the postings on this site. Thanks

I have heard that the herb Maca is supposed to be very helpful male factor infertility. My dh has not been diagnosed with any problems but he is taking it just to be on the safe side. Where you o'ing on your own before the Clomid? If they haven't found any problems with you I just wondered why they starting on the Clomid.

The answer is, there's probably nothing wrong with you. You probably don't have infertility, just reduced fertility for reasons they can't detect. My husband and I went through every test available and they never found anything at all. Clomid didn't work for us even though each cycle looked great. Finally we did IVF and it worked the first time. Sometimes it just takes more aggressive measures, and no one can tell you why. Good luck, and don't give up hope!

Technically I haven't even started Clomid yet (my first dose is in the bottle, awaiting Day 5), but I was told that it's useful only if there's something wrong with your ovulatory function, either not o'ing at all or not producing mature eggs. If there's nothing wrong with you and you're ovulating normally, it seems odd that they would give it to you - it would just be enhancing a function that you're doing perfectly well already.

I would ask the doctor about getting your husband treated directly. There are fertility drugs that men can take; I don't know much about them but the doctor should have info on this.

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Sufficient unto the day are the evils thereof.

Like Maryjk said look into to getting your husband treated ther are ways believe it or not.
First step is to get him to a Urologist to have a check up with that person. Chances are he/she will want him to do another sample or two. They can then discuss options. For example my Dh has low motility due to a varicole. The doctor he is seeing now wants another sample which see what those results are. Then the next step is put dh on Clomid. Yeppers men can go on clomid the nice thing is it increases their count and motility. So Dh will probably do that first. Then if that doesnt work there are other things to try,the last thing will be sugery to correct the varicole.
Make sure your dh has stopped wearing tight pants,switch to boxers or boxer briefs,no more spas or hot tubs. And if he rides a bike alot then he needs to cut back or get the seat changed on it. Those things can effect his semen. That is if you havent already done those changes.

My husband has the infertility problem ( he has no sperm caused by meds)and we tried from 92-99 to get pregnant. We had to go through artificial insemination which was finally successful in May of 99. I had to relax for it to take. Sometimes that is hard to do. Do something you really enjoy to take your mind off of the wanting to get pregnant.

Thanks guys...this really helps. I was also wondering why my doctor would put me on clomid as my cycles have always been very regular and have all the symptoms of ovulating on my own. We have asked our doctor to refer us to a urologist about 6 months ago now and we still haven't heard from them. How long should I stay on the Clomid. It's so nice to have people to talk to that are or have been going through the same things. All of my closest friends got pregnant on the first try. I had one friend that it took 3 months and she was all concerned and depressed...I could have smacked her. I told her to come talk to me again when she had been trying for as long as we have before she can qualify as depressed. Just reading the postings on this site have made me realize that as all alone as we feel...we are not really alone......

My husband and I have decided to go through the process again. I have to have a surgery first ( not related ), but afterwards. I am 32 and don't want to wait until after 35. I have a 3 year old daughter and want one more child. I understand the depression, I would get that way every month.

Like everyone has already said, I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. In fact, here's one thing to be happy about - you're further along than me, because you have a regular cycle. I can't even start clomid because I have no idea whem my day 5 is (I have a hormonal imbalance that keeps me spotting for weeks and sometimes months). Today a friend of my told me that she is expecting in April - she is 39 and this will be her first. The thing that kills me is, she doesn't even like kids!! She was always big on NEVER having kids. I remember that one time a baby was crying nearby, she muttered "shut up!" under her breath. Life seems so unfair at times - but as they say, good things come to those who wait! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif I am fairly new to this board as well and it's great to be a part of this "family" .. I've taken a back seat lately by reading posts but never contributing, but I find myself checking every day. I wish you and your DH all the best, we're all here to support each other and one day, I truely believe it will happen for all of us and we'll all be here to share the good news... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/heart.gif

Just a note - having ovulation symptoms and a regular period doesn't *guarantee* that you're ovulating. If you've never had irregular periods and it's always been like that, it makes it highly likely, but ovulation isn't 100% proven unless you do some testing. However, from what you describe it does sound likely that your husband is the one who needs more help right now - and if they already did testing on you, they would probably have noticed low progesterone/enlarged ovaries/anything that would show that your ovulation was abnormal.

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Sufficient unto the day are the evils thereof.

I ovulated on my own each month, but couldn't get pg. I was put on clomid and it worked 3 times, sadly, I miscarried all 3 due to a blood clotting disorder they discovered after the 3rd. It doesn't just work on woman with ovulation problems. The only thing I would caution you about is not to stay on it for an extended period of time. It increases your risk of cancer and also thins your uterine lining (which has happened to me now). Check with your doctor on these two issues. God Bless and Good Luck!!!

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Debbie, 38
ttc #1
3 m/c
diagnosed with MTHFR and
prothrombin gene mutation

Doctors sometimes prescribe Clomid even when you ovulate normally. Clomid can make you release more than one egg, which increases your chances. And it can allow the eggs to mature a little longer, also giving you a higher quality ovulation. But as the others have said, your husband should see a urologist right away. Don't wait any longer for a referral. That can be one of the hardest things about this -- that you sometimes have to be really aggressive to get the care you need. Fertility doesn't increase with age, so we're all against the clock in this. Good luck, and I hope you get some good answers soon. Also, there are various opinions on how many months a woman should take Clomid in her lifetime, but I believe most doctors say fewer than 8. Any more than that and they believe it might increase your risk of cancer. It sounds like you may need to find a more pro-active clinic where they map out a treatment and testing plan for you based on your individual circumstances.

Hi there. My DH has low count and he also has low motility. I agree with the above poster - Maca Root is supposed to work wonders for sperm problems. Also, have you tried IUI? With your DH's problems, the sperm may need a little help getting where they need to go. I have conceived on both my IUI's. (I also have PCOS and required injectible drugs to help me ovulate). IUI #1 resulted in a m/c, but I am now 10 weeks pg with twins from IUI #2. Just wanted to let you know NOT to give up hope. You can definitely get pg with male factor, you sometimes just need a little extra help. Good luck!

He may have Klinefelters chromosome problem. There are many variations of it. Research is being done at the larger clinics with a needle procedure to gather active sperm from the testicle & insert it in an egg.

I have Mosaic Klienfelters & I have a few active sperm. After about 1000 natural attempts my wife got pregnant.

G

I think you're right about us needing another clinical specialist. She has me on the clomid every other month for the next 10 months. I will have taken it for 10 months in total. She only scheduled another appointment with us after we finish the clomid trial. My D/H (what does that stand for...I'm guessing Dad?Husband?) also has a heart condition known as aortic valveular disease but our doctors say that this is not a factor. I am going to call her right now and demand a refferal to a urologist. Is there much involved in the IUI proceedure and should this be tried before invitro? Also with the IUI will it be my D/H sperm with my egg...I apologize if I sound stupid but all of this is new to me as our doctor never went through any of this with us......

Hi there! A reproductive endocrinologist is who you need to see for fertility treatments. A urologist won't do IUI, but can test your DH to see if there is an obvious reason for his sperm problems. Your ob/gyn can refer you to an RE. It sounds like you need to see one, b/c your ob/gyn obviously is not aware that repeated use of Clomid (more than 5-6 cycles) breaks down the uterine lining and makes it less receptive to implantation, further reducing your chances of getting pg.

At any rate, IUI is a lot less involved than IVF. Both my cycles I used injectible drugs, which are more expensive and more involved than Clomid, but since you don't have any problems you most likely won't need to use them. At any rate, they simply track when you are ovulating (via ultrasound or opk). On o-day DH produces a sample, they then wash the sperm free of the seminal fluid, and use a very thin tube to insert the sperm into the top of your uterus, near the fallopian tubes. That way the sperm are right there where they need to be. They then swim up the tube and fertilize the egg normally, just as they would in natural conception.

Good luck!

Also with clomid you need to be checked every month you are on it. It can cause problems with cysts and cause your ovaries to enlarge. So you need to be checked on that. It doesnt seem like the doc you are seeing knows all that much. If she did then she would know that you have to be checked to make sure your ovaries are ok.

By the way Dh does mean dear husband or the other d word depending on what you are talking about.