# Hi i am new here



## debbie1978 (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi everyone  my name is Debbie and i am 27 my DH is 30. We have been married 8 years. It took 4 years for us to go to our GP. My DH had his semen checked the results broke our hearts as he was diagnosed with azoospermia. It took us another 2 years to go back to our GP and they checked his semen again same result. Then we went to our GP last June but had to wait 4 months to see the gynaecologist. I saw him last week he did an internal and took swabs to be checked. He checked my DH private parts also. He then sent my DH to have a blood test. I have to have two blood tests done also. We then went to reception to make an appointment for me to have a hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
but it is not until April. I couldn't believe it when she said April. I just feel so confused as i feel i have along way to go. While waiting for the (HSG) do they do tests in between? I am very new to this as when my DH was diagnosed with azoospermia it took us along time to come to terms that we may have to use donor sperm. My DH is happy for us to have a baby using donor sperm. Debbie


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## Zebra (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi Debbie, Welcome to Fertility Friends!!!
Sorry i can't advise u as my circumstances are very different from yours, but i also was told that i was going to have 2 wait a long time b4 any kind of tx was going 2 commence. I ended up having a private consultation which speeded things up dramatically as the con i saw was the medical director of my regional fertility clinic. Don't know if this is an option for u but worth a try checking it out. Sorry i can't be more helpful but I'm sure someone on here can give u some advice, one thing i have learnt about fertilty tx is that u have to be very pushy in order 2 get anything done!! 
Good luck!
Love Zebra


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## suzy (Oct 12, 2003)

HI Debbie,

Welcome to fertility friends. Has anyone suggested that your dh see a urologist - that is a specialist in bladder/testicle problems, or a specialist in men's fertility?. Often, if men have no sperm in the semen, it means they were born with an absence of the tube that carries the sperm,  but sperm are still made in the testicle. They can then be removed in an operating theatre with a needle (under an anaesthetic), and then used to fertilize your eggs, in the same way as IVF. If you do this then there would be no need to do an hsg with you as it doesn't matter if your tubes are blocked or not. There would also be no need to use donor sperm with all the issues that involved in that (and I hear its much harder to find a donor now).  Have you talked about it with your GP? By the way, I don't live in the UK, but from reading other peoples posts, I'd agree that you have to be pushy to get anything done!

Hope it all goes well for you,

Suzy


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## Nats (Aug 22, 2003)

Hi Debbie

Im affraaid I cant shed any light on the problems you and dh have...

But

I did want to say hi and welcome to the board.

Natsxx


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## B3ar (Jul 6, 2005)

Hi Debbie

Welcome to Fertility Friends. 

Love
Bear
x


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## nicolah (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi Debbie,

I would totally agree with the other girls that you have to be pushy pushy pushy!!! And get to know the important people, ie in your PCT, Consultants secretaries etc. I also went to see my cons. privately and this is a good way of getting yourself "known". The trick is getting the balance of being just pushy - and being a nuisance!!! 

The result of my pushiness is that I am now getting a free cycle of IVF where before I was getting nothing.

It's taken me a lot of years to get to this stage though. At the beginning I used to wait for the post every morning on my next hospital appt coming through. Now I make it before I leave the hospital or phone the appts lady myself. 

Good luck and get pushing!!!

Nicolaxx


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## Mrs CW (Jul 12, 2004)

Hi and welcome

Long waits are common in IVF but I think April is a long way off for an HSG - its a fairly minor x ray procedure (well, for them, anyway!).  I am also surprised you could be booked in so far in advance as it is usually done depending on your periods.  Usually you have to call and tell them when you start a period and then they book you in for mid-cycle. - so how they would know when that would be next April is a bit odd!
  
Perhaps the person booking in didn't realise this holds up your tx, I'd speak to your consultant and ask why this takes so long.  Perhaps if you could get the money together you could ask to do this part privately so you're not held up.

Claire x


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## debbie1978 (Sep 8, 2005)

HI Everyone,

      Thankyou for replying to my message. It is along time to wait for my HSG also my next appointment with my gynaecologist is not until march i thought i would have seen him sooner than that. Did anyone else on the boards have to wait this long? The gynaecologist knows my husband has azoospermia but all he wanted to check was my husbands blood he never mentioned a urologist. 
Good luck to everyone 
Debbie


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## lola636 (Aug 26, 2005)

debbie1978 said:


> Hi everyone my name is Debbie and i am 27 my DH is 30. We have been married 8 years. It took 4 years for us to go to our GP. My DH had his semen checked the results broke our hearts as he was diagnosed with azoospermia. It took us another 2 years to go back to our GP and they checked his semen again same result. Then we went to our GP last June but had to wait 4 months to see the gynaecologist. I saw him last week he did an internal and took swabs to be checked. He checked my DH private parts also. He then sent my DH to have a blood test. I have to have two blood tests done also. We then went to reception to make an appointment for me to have a hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
> but it is not until April. I couldn't believe it when she said April. I just feel so confused as i feel i have along way to go. While waiting for the (HSG) do they do tests in between? I am very new to this as when my DH was diagnosed with azoospermia it took us along time to come to terms that we may have to use donor sperm. My DH is happy for us to have a baby using donor sperm. Debbie


Hi Debbie

Welcome to the site. Again, my situation is different to yours but I can definately appreciate the problem of male infertility. We, like you, were so upset when our initial consultation was 6 months away. We decided to go privately, which if you are able to, definately cuts down the wait.
It sounds as though you have a good relationship which will certainly get you through - you are both affected by this after all.

Good luck and best wishes

Lola


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## Hippy (Aug 2, 2005)

Hi Debbie - I too know what it feels like to be told your husband is azoospermic , that was my position three years ago and it was very traumatic. I remember feeling very numb and shaky for a long time ,  even though in my case my DH and  I were expecting it (my DH suffered a very, very rare pituitary tumour as a child and was told early on having children of  his own might be very doubtful). I also remember the appalling long waiting times between intial NHS tests and appointments, we had to wait 8 months to see the Sub Fertility Clinic specialist and I  had to wait four months to get a slot for my HSG to name but a few delays. I can't believe you have to wait until April 2006 for your HSG though, that is horrific! 

From the knowledge I have gained on this whole topic over last few years, there can be a multitude of reasons for a zero sperm count (some simple some a lot more complex) but that they fall into two very basic categories 1. biological 2. physical. The biological being a problem or deficiency with the male hormone production. To produce sperm a man requires certain levels of both LH (lutenising hormone) which creates testosterone and FSH (Folicle stimulating Hormone) which then triggers sperm production. Both must be present to produce sperm and they are quite a lot of different reasons that these levels could be effected hence the vital need for blood tests as a first investigation.  If blood tests are all as they should be the problem might point to a physical one i.e. an internal blockage in sperm getting through into the ejactulate and this is where a Urologist usually comes in and is seen for advice and further tests (sometimes offering a testicular biopsy to see if there are any sperm hidding in the testes). If you have being trying to conceive for a very long time they also like to do standard tests on you as well including blood tests for your hormone levels and internal ones such as the HSG. 

In my rare scenario my DH and I didn't have a lot of choice in who we can be seen by because most Consultants don't know enough about my DHs rare condition to be able to advise us easily. We are currently under the care of a top NHS London Consultant (after our request, as local Hospital were pathetic) one of the few with actual experience of my husbands condition. If your DHs problem is fairly standard then my advice would be to go private if you can possibly afford it as the waiting times and general treatment on the NHS is in my experience are truly dreadful and simply add extra very unwanted stress. I have also learnt via a wonderful friend  I met on this site that the NHS sperm tests are not able to detect sperm in terms of there say being only 1 to 10 sperm present, they can only pick up sperm in the very, very low millions not individual ones. If however you pay private they are some centres (including The Bridge Centre in London) who offer a very specialist sperm test ( called RCA) which can detect only handfuls of sperm.

I would also urge you once you get some info back from your test results (don't be afraid to ring and chase for these prior to waiting for your next appointment) get doing your own research on the internet and really read up on your situation as again my experience as shown the NHS have a horrific habit of not offering everything that might be possible to try, due to their funding problems and some have been known to try and rail road people down the treatment routes that are easiest and cheapest for them to offer such as the donor route. My DH and I felt we were bullied into considering donor too early, as later down the line it transpired we still had every chance of trying for our own child, which we are still pursuing now if we can get our uncaring PCT to fund the vital rare injections my DH requires to give us our 75% chance! 

Hope some of this helps, there is so much more I could say but bottom line is go private if you can  , even if it is just to use private for getting the basic tests done quickly as no one deserves the agony of being made to wait over 6 months for routine tests. Good luck and keep in touch if you want more info.
Love
Hippy


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