PP, I think natural cycle IVF makes perfect sense for you. You don't have to do any hormone injections, just one trigger shot, and you'll be able to do ICSI. I believe Dominion Fertility is the only clinic in the area that offers this.

For us, IVF is by no means a cost issue, it's the toll it can take on my health. All those hormone injections cannot be good for you. I suspect because of all that hormonal overstimulation, health risks for women who underwent an IVF increase dramatically. I am particularly concerned about an early menopause, development of cysts on ovaries, growth of cancerous cells.

My DH had poor count and motility. We tried and tried, then IUI, to no avail. Then went to IVF, and now have two wonderful DCs from two sessions of IVF. I got pregnant on the first try with IVF for our first DC, then it took two tries with the second round of IVF for our second DC. I'm really surprised to read the above post about not wanting to do IVF -- we have several friends now with wonderful growing families thanks to IVF! In any case, after our second DC was born, I never went on birth control as I assumed it probably couldn't happen the natural way, but a couple years later, to my wild surprise, I found out I was pregnant. Now we've got 3 wonderful DCs! So, it can happen with the poor sperm count/motility, as others have said. But, I guess I'd compare it to gambling and hoping for the jackpot -- odds are it could happen, those can be long odds ... I'm SO glad to have gone the IVF route. (I'll say it again, I'm surprised to hear anyone say they won't consider IVF, unless it's a cost issue.)

I was told to try 3 courses of IUI with Clomid before trying ICSI. I started to look at the stats and found this website
http://www.advancedfertility.com/insem.htm (scroll to the bottom fo rthe chart) which based on my husband results, gave us 0.2% chance of conceiving naturally but only a 2.5% (with Clomid) chance of conceiving with IUI so was a bit miffed as to why they suggested IUI- 2.5% is hardly good odds.

This site also states "Studies have shown that intrauterine insemination can be effective for some cases associated with poor sperm quality. However, if the total motile sperm count at the time of insemination (after the processing) is less than 5 million, the chances for pregnancy are substantially lower." My husbands results were 1.8m so I feel like we should not have been encouraged to try IUI.

I'm currently using Shady Grove in Virginia and I just got the news that while my husban'ds count and concentration were "normal" he has 3% morphology. He was previously dx with varicele, which his urologist didn't have him get a sample but we did with Shady Grove.

Well I knew that that wasn't good and have been researching and researching this stuff because as soon as AF starts, we'll be starting our first IUI. When I asked the nurse if they would cancel the IUI when DH brought them his sample the morning of the IUI she told me no only if I didn't respond accordingly to the meds, etc.

The only thing I am going to do is go buy my wonderful husband an ice gel pack to have him hold it to his 'boys' while we watch tv. We meet with our DR on Monday and we'll know more then because I want exact numbers.

Does anyone have any encouraging words who have been through this or know if Shady Grove is there to help you versus trying to make money? I go back and forth should we just bypass the IUI and go straight to IVF because our insurance does not pay for any ART. I want to be taken care of as an individual, and they provide me with the best option based on us, not for them to take us for every dime.

OP here again. I tried acupuncture just for a month and got pregnant, but as I said, it was a blighted ovum. Have been going to acupuncture since my D&C (for a year now) and nothing. Using CBFM, timing intercourse, put my husband on bunch of ferility boosting supplements. Thinking about moving to an IUI if my husband's recent sperm test shows some improvement. I was also reading about the Conception Kit, where you collect your husband's sperm in a condom, then put it in a special cup and insert it close to your cervix. Apparently, it helps sperm to swim faster towards the uterus. At this point I am willing to try anything natural because I am VERY scared to do an IVF (injections, hormone overload, retrieval). Nobody knows what long-term affects on your health of this procedure can be.

Thansk 23.20 poster. You sound like some friends of ours who tried naturally for a few years, found problems with husbands sperm then tried ICSI twice with no success, went on a holiday to de stress and came back pregnant - and now have 3 boys under 4 (the last one a complete accident!). I guess as 10.48 poster says - its a gamble either way - waiting or paying for treatment. I thik I'll give it another 3 months to see if dietry improvements and coming off the prescription drugs makes any difference then try ICSI in August. IUI is a 10th of the price but I still feel like it appears to be a waste of time based on hubbys results.

Has anyone tried other natural treatments such as acupuncture etc with any success?

I think it's a question of chance--it just takes one good sperm, right? After testing we had no diagnoses except DH's awful morphology (count was fine). We'd been TTC for 3 years on our own (using OPTs, getting the timing right, etc.) with no success. We had IVF with ICSI and conceived on the second round, have a 1.5 year old. We've been TTC naturally for one year with no results. When I say TTC I mean we're using OPT and getting the timing right, just in case it could work. I'm not stressed about it like I was the first time around because frankly, I'm assuming it's going to take IVF again. I just feel like we should try naturally and see if we can get a baby for free this time. In about six months if nothing happens we'll go back to the clinic where we have 5 frozen embryocicles.

Thank you, PP, for your great story and words of encouragement. Seems to me that TTC with a male factor is worse than gambling.

Over a period of about 4 years, my husband has had probably 8 sperm tests and every single one of them came back with horrible morphology (among other things). The only good part of his tests was his sperm count, everything else was always at or near zero. When we were first trying to conceive, back in 2003, several doctors (particularly at Shady Grove) told us there was no point in doing anything but IVF/ICSI, and that our chances on our own were essentially zero. Just after I got the prescription for meds for our first IVF cycle, I found out I was pregnant (I was 36). A second natural pregnancy followed quickly, and my children are 15.5 months apart. In the years after that, my husband has gotten me pregnant again twice. The first time, after looking to participate in Microsort at GIVF and being denied because of the quality of my husband's sperm, we were again referred to Shady Grove and preparing to seek assistance. SG required a 2nd HSG (even though I had recently had two kids naturally and the prior HSG had been normal), which, it turns out, was done when I was unknowingly already pregnant, and resulted in a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The second time was through IVF and resulted in a blighted ovum. So, I am now in my 40s, and we've had no luck through all of this effort trying to have a third. I am so thankful for the two wonderful children I had through pure good fortune. It may be that my problems in recent years are due to my husband's sperm, but more likely, I think, due to my age. One thing I'm sure of is that the sperm tests are seriously unreliable and may mean absolutely nothing. Best of luck!

Hiya,

My husband (34) has had various sperm test results - none with great motility -but after a trial wash because of issues with both motiliy and morphology had only 1.8 million viable sperm. The minimum recommended for IUI (here in New Zealand) is 2 million and even then the chances are low so we are looking at ICSI but I am curoisu to know how these results fluctuate? We have only been ttc for 10 mnths. All my tests are fine and I am 31 and have a 9 year old from a previous relationship.

My husband is on medication to treat a neck injury - volataren and omiperizole (sp?) and I wonder if they are having an effect on his sperm? He has agreed to drop the omiperizole (which just stops side affects of the voltaren but can interfear with vitamin balances) so I think we may wait another 3 months and see if there is any improvement before trying ICSI which will cost us $10,000 per try here in New Zealand.

I would really like it to happen naturally but not too sure how long to wait....

Responding to 9:46 responder. We were told that during washing, only dead sperm is washed out, but the ones with poor morphology might still be in the sample. Since my husband's morphology is only 1% and motility is only 25%, the RE thinks it's a slim chance there will be enough good ones for the IUI. But nonetheless I will try couple IUIs and as 21:53 suggested, I will still start slow with IUI on Chlomid and then see how I respond and what sperm we'll get post wash.

DH has poor morph too, and we tried one failed IUI already. We had to take a cycle off because the meds left two large cysts on my right ovary. We are scheduled for our second IUI this coming week. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the morph because with IUI they wash and weed out all the bad sperm.

Anonymous wrote:Question to 15:15 poster. Did you do an IUI on Chlomid or with injectables?

15:15 here. It was just clomid. I believe it was 50 mg, but I can't quite remember. My advice would be to start off minimal, and then work your way to injectibles/IVF if you have to. I have known so many couples, where the DH had poor morphology, and they have ended up conceiving naturally, or with minimal intervention.

Question to 15:15 poster. Did you do an IUI on Chlomid or with injectables?