We had a sperm problem as well, no problems with me, the female. I got pregnant at age 39. I have a beautiful healthy smart 3 1/2 year old little girl, through IVF. IVF is really the only way to go when you have sperm problems. You have to get the sperm into the egg manually, IVF with ICSI. They have to inject each egg with one sperm through a small pipette. You are at a good age, 36 is still young enough to have some good eggs. Your FSH is more important of an indicating factor for ovarian reserve. Go for it!!! Do it and keep doing it until you get pregnant. As far as doctors and costs. Use the best "clinic" you have in your area. They should have an on site lab with an embryologist, that's where the magic happens. The whole package is important, doctor, lab, nurses, etc. Time and money is all critical considerations. Most likely you will get pregnant your first time because you are close to 35, however, don't be surprised if you have to do a second IVF. I used California Fertility Partners in L.A. It cost around $14,000.00 for my first IVF, including all meds. My second IVF, going for my second child, I was able to use a 20% discount and they donated meds. Always ask for discounts and donated meds. Good luck, it will happen, and you will have a beautiful little baby.
Please check out our IVF story at the link below.
http://www.10news.com/health/14730613/detail.html
Please feel free to contact us, our email address is located at the site.
Hello,
There is an excellent book about IVF called The Couple's Guide to In Vitro Fertilization by Liza Charlesworth that covered almost all of our questions. You may be able to get good information at the American Fertility Association also.
~Val
First OFF- WOW! I am even touched by the amaizing valume of response Barbara has recieved!
Second, I have not been through IVF or MF IF (Male Factor Infertility), but I am SI (Secondary Infertility) due to PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). I was invited to join a Christian online Support group, and it TRULY saved my sanity! I really felt so desperate and alone, fighting the battle without even support from my Mom. Being told CRUD about how "God will bless you with another child only when he's ready. Spending money on fertility assistance won't change His mind" and, I think the most hurtful coment "a child created through fertility intervention isn't a child created by or for God!" I found http://hannahsprayer.org and begaan to get the support I DESPERATELY needed! I really didn't even have the support of my husband, but I learned through HP (Hannah's Prayer) that husbands often don't "get" the pain that infertility can cause.
So, for all of you out there that are Christian, and have ever had infertility issues, or are currently experiencing them, come join us at http://hannahsprayer.org They have multiple forums for different needs of their members. Male Factor, one for mother's of special needs kids, Mothers of Multiples (twins, trips, more), Adoption and Foster Care parents, ARTs, PCO, Motherhood, Military families,and even pregnancy- where we all rejoice at hearing (reading) that someone has won the IF battle!
Dear Barbara,
My Neice went that route. She and her husband had spent over
$25,000.00 when it was sucessful. But... They did this some 8 years ago. And the costs have (I imagine) come down considerably.
Anyway, They had twins- A BOY AND A GIRL!!
It isn't always an inexpensive way to go, but considering that you are 36--time is at hand!!
There are plenty of orphaned children out there already.
Best of Luck to You and Your Husband,
Caroly S.
Maybe find out why your husband has a low sperm count. My husband also had a low sperm count and he had a varicocele in his testicle. Basically it's a varicose vein in the testicle that brings excess blood to the area, heats it up and kills the sperm. He had a procedure to fix it and I became pregnant 3 times since his procedure. I believe insurance paid for it (or most of it). He went to Dr. Martin Bastuba, a urologist in San Diego. We loved him. Not sure if this helps, but if this is his problem, it could save you lots of money not having to go through IVF. It took ~ 9 months for me to get pregnant after the procedure. Wish you lots of luck!
I know this is late, but here is my experience.
My husband & I tried on our own for about 1 year, started fertility testing and several rounds of artificial insemination (luckily our insurance covered all of that at the time). They never found an exact cause for our infertility (dh sperm counts were all over the place-one would be completely normal and the next would show nothing, the Dr even asked if he had missed the cup..LOL!). I have uterine fibroids that could have caused miscariage, but I never got pregnant, so that wasn't it. Anyways, another year+ later we were told that our best option would be IVF. I was 33 at the time and dh was 29. We went through Loma Linda and had a very good experience. The initial drugs and shots before egg retrieval were no big deal and I was able to administer them all myself (they started about 1 month before the retrieval procedure). The only side effect was that I gained about 10 lbs. As we got closer to the retrieval, I had to go into the office for lab work every couple of days and that was a bit inconvenient with work, but my boss understood. After the retrieval they started me on the estrogen shots and those hurt for the first couple of weeks (dh had to give me those). Luckily, one of the two embryos that were transferred took, and we now have a beautiful little girl. Both the retrieval and transfer procedures were quick and painless if not slightly uncomfortable. Including all lab work, drugs, appointments, and procedures (including ICSI) the cost for us was about $12,000. As any couple that is dealing with fertility issues understands, that amount is nothing compared with having a child, but it is a large sum.
We are thinking about trying for baby #2 and will most likely need to do IVF again but this time we will just use some of the embryos that we have frozen and the process should be much easier.
Good luck with whatever course of action you decide to take.
-Misty
It depends on whether your insurance covers it or not. Ours didn't. From start to finish, we invested approxamately $12,500, delivering in Dec. 2007. We went with Dr. Kathleen Kornafel in Glendale. I hope this helps. If you don't already have a doctor, she is wonderful.
I really want to THANK everyone for your responses! Wow, I feel so blessed by your support! I feel so grateful that so many of you took the time to share your stories with me. THANK YOU!