Varicoceles

That is an exact quote from my husband when he was told what he could have done to help correct his male factor infertility. Let me start by saying my husband and had been very patient and understanding when I asked him if he would join me in getting tested, and treated, for infertility. He dealt with everything like a champ, although most of the time we probably wished we were the type of people who could have been happy living childless. My husband has large enough varicolceles that the doctor was able to detect them from sight and palpation. The two of them had a good laugh at how lucky he was that they found the issue right off. I didn't think it was as funny, but at… [more]

Talking about issues with infertility is extremely difficult. You see other people holding their children and you feel like crying or running from the room. Eventually you find some people to whom you can open up and with whom you can discuss your frustrations, trials, and limited (if any) success. Then you realize that everyone has an opinion. The majority of the time when my husband and I would talk with other people we would get the response, “so what’s wrong with her?” Yes, I do have some factors that keep me from getting pregnant, but so does my husband. Why didn’t anyone ask what his “problems” were or what he was doing “wrong”? I already felt awful for not being able to… [more]

Varicoceles are a common cause of male factor infertility. My husband's reduced sperm count was due to a varicocele, and having the varicocele removed solved his fertility woes. (However, since he was still married to an infertile woman, solving his fertility issue still did not result in his conceiving a child.)

A varicocele is a varicose vein in the testicles. A varicocele causes problems because it holds a pocket of blood and keeps the sperm too warm, causing some of the sperm to die off. When the testicle tries to protect the sperm from overheating, the varicocele manages to keep the warm blood against the sperm. When I think of varicose veins, I think of the really large… [more]

Somehow, we managed to trudge through our second holiday season as an infertile couple. January brought a second try at becoming pregnant through an intrauterine insemination (IUI). Unfortunately, my husband's sperm count was still much lower than we hoped. For a second time, we did the IUI despite a low sperm count, and for a second time, we did not conceive.

Dr. M referred my husband to a urologist (Dr. P) to determine what was causing his low sperm count. Dr. P performed a physical exam in his office but did not find anything amiss. Dr. P said that we needed to do an ultrasound of my husband's reproductive organs, so we scheduled that procedure for the following week. That… [more]