Every Sperm is Sacred - It's the Male TTC thread!

Neyite

Couldn't resist the Monty Python reference there

This is a thread for the wanna-be dads to discuss everything about baby-making from a male point of view and perspective. All are welcome to post here, no question is stupid, very little is TMI.

We have a general chat thread you are also welcome to post in, and for those of you who are moving onto more technical or medical methods, our long termer chat thread is also open to all posters too.

Dow99

Great idea!
We're often the silent victims & in a lot of cases we don't get the opportunity for people to hear our story or even vent!
My wife and I started TTC 6 years ago. At that time my wife was diagnosed with PCOS, although we were not TTC at the time, we got down to business straight away.

Long story short, we're into are 7th cycle of IVF at the moment, we had one IVF that miscarried at 7 weeks (devastating) to which we've had one failed cycle since. Hoping for egg collection and transfer in the 1st week of Oct. Fingers cross this time, we're both very battle weary at this stage from it all!

LegacyUser

We've gone through 4 rounds of ICSI in the last few years. (3 in the last year). Thankfully, the first one worked but the 3 subsequent attempts failed. Its just so draining, the whole process. We've decided to take a break for 6 or 8 months. We'll try once more some time next year. The wife is turning 35 next year, so that'll play a part in it too.

Hellrazer

Following on from the thread in the Gents club heres our story.

Myself and my wife had a hard time of it to be totally honest.Our first (now 18) was born at 28 weeks at 2lb.Back then there was no support from the internet and the docs told us that our daughter had no chance of survival (my wifes waters went at 24 weeks)
However they did say that they would resuscitate after 28 weeks and thankfully she made it to the magic date after weeks on Dexamethasone.

I found a support group that went through everything with me..the DEX is not a standard treatment over here (maybe it is now) but back then we had to fight tooth and nail to get it and eventually they did.Dexamethasone is a steroid that's used to increase lung capacity and that was where our daughter might have not lived as her lungs weren't matured enough.


A few years later we started trying for a second.Multiple rounds of IVF and nothing.Eventually when we did conceive we had a MC Christmas week that devastated us for months.Again there was no support for men in this situation.We are supposed to be the strong ones but people forget that it takes 2 to make a baby. Every Xmas I always have a feeling that there should be an extra present under the tree for our other child.

Then we found Napro using the Galway clinic.Ive already posted in the Napro thread a few years back about our experience with it.
After a year o we conceived our second and a year later our third.Were both convinced that the Napro was responsible for both our kids after that.
At this stage I reckon I'm a qualified gynaecologist!!!

Dow99

Mrs Dow99 had egg collection on Friday. This is our 4th egg collection procedure. It's always a worrying and stressful procedure for us. 1st MrsDow99 had bad OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome) & another time one of her ovaries twisted which resulted in her spending a couple of days in (ironically) the Rotunda surrounded in a ward of pregnant women.

They managed to collect 16 eggs, a fantastic number, which we were delighted with. She seemed fine after the procedure, tired due to the drugs but a lot more comfortable than previous attempts.
The next morning we got the call from the embryologist,,, from our 16, 13 were able to be fertilized but only 5 made it through the night. Not really the news we wanted but it is what it is. Obviously from 16 we wished that we would have more of a buffer and have a less stressful 5 days to transfer. This is all so very stressful & we know its like the grandnational and at any stage it can all come crushing down.

This morning MrDow99 was back in the clinic to see if there's any OHSS and if not to start intralipids (to reduce her natural killer cells). All was okay and we're good to go for transfer on Wednesday. She was told the 5 remaining embyro's are still hanging in there ( 3 vgood, 1 normal and 1 is fragmenting).
But all this morning I've nearly physical sick waiting on her to txt or call on how things are.

Fingers crossed for Wednesday!!

Dow99

Continuing on from my last post.
So from the 16 eggs, then 13, then 5 we were left with one solitary embryo on transfer day. It killed our hopes!

We went ahead with the transfer as planned on the Wednesday. It's a simple procedure & everything went as expected and we were sent home for the 2 week wait.

Obviously it's an emotional roller-coaster and Mrs Dow99 struggled with the disappointment of having no little back up frozen for a next attempt.
We got a weekend away in Donegal and took it easy and waited out until day 12 when she will be tested by the clinic.
On Saturday morning (10 days post transfer) Mr's Dow99 came into the kitchen while I was having my morning coffee with a positive pregnancy test. Speechless! Although, we have been here before & know the risks as a year to the day before we miscarried.
The clinic results came in good on the 1st test but asked us back for a 2nd two days later to ensure everything was fine, and it was. The levels went up x2.5 times. We've a scan on the 15th of Nov so hopefully by that stage a heartbeat can be detected, but until then we're beginning to believe this is it.

skallywag

ICSI Dad wrote: »

We've gone through 4 rounds of ICSI in the last few years. (3 in the last year). Thankfully, the first one worked but the 3 subsequent attempts failed.

Similar story here, 7 total rounds of ICSI with one success. The one success is the saving grace of course, so I look back on the whole experience with positive feelings.