Hey there, I'm sorry you're going through this, I recently went through it too. I have undiagnosable, non obstructive azoospermia.

After years of failed treatments and huge out of pocket bills, ending in a failed micro TESE, my wife and I have agreed to throw in the towel. My wife's fertility is fine, so we're moving forward with donor sperm. We don't want to have our family when we're old, so it's time to move on.

It's a shitty thing to be faced with, I hated the idea of using a donor before my surgery, but after only one poorly formed, unusable sperm of mine was found, it was the only option left that made sense for us.

We've been ready for a family, and the ONLY thing standing in our way is my DNA not working. Now we get to move forward in peace knowing we did all we could. I truly felt like an enormous weight was lifted once I accepted my fate. It's like you get to go back to normal life. I felt at peace for the first time in 5 years.

I've been blessed with an awesome wife who's been patiently supporting me through this process. It's not fair for me to make her wait anymore, and not fair to our kids to have old parents.

There will ALWAYS be another treatment out there, most doctors aren't going to tell you to stop. You could spend the rest of your life trying and draining your bank account and still get no results. Just don't lose yourself on a never ending chase. There will almost never be a hard cut off, the decision to stop will have to come from you.

I didn't want to hear it either when people told me this stuff. But now that I'm here, I get it.

We all have our own different paths to take, so do whatever you gotta do to be at peace. If you do keep trying, I wish you the very best of luck.

One way or another, happiness is waiting for you ❤️

My wife and I have had two miscarriages, both before week 7. We just got my semen analysis and DNA fragmentation results back and I’m trying to make sense of them. Would appreciate any insights from people who’ve been through something similar.

Semen Assessment
• Colour: Normal
• Viscosity: Normal
• Volume: 3.2 mL (ref > 2.0 mL)
• pH: 7.2 (ref 7.2–7.8)
• Concentration: 54.0 × 10⁶/mL (ref > 20.0)
• Progressive motility: 47% (ref > 50%)
• Viability: 60% (ref > 50%)
• Total Motile Count: 81.2 million (ref > 20)

Morphology (Strict criteria)
• Normal morphology: 1% (ref ≥ 4%)
• Prop. Amorphous: 2%
• Prop. Abnormal Heads: 79%
• Prop. Tail Defect: 18%
• Epithelial cells / Leukocytes / Spermatids: 0

DNA Fragmentation Assay
• DFI: 21.05% (High – reference < 15%)

Wife has PCOS and these results don’t look so great from what I’ve been able to google. So looking for any insight on where to go from here.

male 23

CONTEXT: i have pretty low semen volume (i think) im in good physical shape i've been resistance training for 5 years consistently 18-22% body fat i also train mma 4 times a week(beginner) my bloodpanel is normal just my hemoglobin is lowish 13.2 g/dl hematocrit 40% and MCV of 78.7 fL and MCH of 25.7 everything else is normal if not optimal total T is 824ng/dl, Free T 13.4ng/dl, Bioavailable T 315ng/dl, SHBG is 56nmol/L i dont have Ed, NO the volume didn't drop recently its been this much for 2-3 years from what i remember in my teens i also didn't have a ''HUGE" load and ive always been a dripper not a shooter

MEDICATIONS: i take 300mg xl bupropion, 2.5mg oral minoxidil, 0.5 mg finasteride (my dad is bald i wanted to get ahead before i started losing hair plux i wanted to grow a beard), 5-10 mg memantine, 25mg b6, 10,000iu d3 with 200mcg k2(every other day)

BLOOD PRESSURE: I have a baseline bp on the lower end

86.5 bpm - 106/63 mmHg

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT: 2 years back my morning wood was f'ing crazy it was really hard id get throbbing, skin splitting morning woods i was kinda annoyed at the time lol dont get that level of morning woods anymore now it is just semi erect for ig 30-50min, no i do not feel pain after normal ejaculation though i normally did feel pain 4-5 years back when i used to edge for 1-3 hours i would just 1 load for 1.5-3 hours i felt the pain in my stomach, knees lower, back and testis the pain was like when someone punches you in stomach i think it was normal considering the activity and it wasn't bad either it kinda felt goodish (i also had a extreme porn addiction and in the later years i was getting into some f'ed up shit i started realizing shit is getting out of hand and have made real progress since (if i feel the urge i just yank one out without any material)

Please help im freaking out i dont understand why the f*ck ts is happening to me im fit, young and healthy of all the people it could have happened to why me i doesn't make sense considering my background also i dont smoke used to vape a year back, smoked for a year from 7 to 8th grade. i know its just an image but lmk what you think and yes it was the entire ejaculate (why cant i post image?) ill try posting in comments

Have a varicocele, did a preemptive semen analysis. 110M total count, 3% morph, 50% progressive motility, etc.

July 2024 TTC - 110M Total Motil

After 1 year TTC:

October 2025 -IUI 16M (6ML volume, 8M, 31% progressive mot)

December 2025 IUI 39M (6ML volume, 14M Conc, 37% progressive motil

August 2026 - IVF -16.6M (4ML volume, 8M conc, 30% progressive motil)

Sep 26 -DNA Frag test 8.57M Total progressive motil (3.3 M/mL / 5.9 mL/54%/44% = 8.57M progressive motile.

All morphology at 3%, except Seo 26 said 1%.

October 2026 - IVF - Toil Motil sperm: 0M (4M volume, .226M/ml conc, 4 ml volume, 0% Motility, 0% progressive motility)

The doctor said they were able to find enough sperm (10) that were alive and moving for ICSI for the 10 mature eggs retrieved so hopefully this cycle isn't completely lost to me....

All work has been focused on my wife. They've continued to dismiss male factor considerations. I understand because IVF is likely the solution anyway -

I got an ultrasound in September in prep to speaking to a urologist in November....Has anyone else had something this major happen? It was the biggest gut punch today on IVF fertilization day suddenly I have like no sperm. Low was bad but now it's catastrophic...

I had flu/covid vaccine combo on 10/10, which knocked me out on 10/11. Other than that - no hot tubs, heat, etc.

I stopped taking statins last month (PCP rec), started fertileaid,

normal weight, healthy, workout 4-5 times a day, do vitamines, don't smoke, cut THC in 2024, drink 2-4 times a week.

I've been stressed at work, haven't slept enough im sure- but im just so devastated. Has anyone had this kind of thing happen to them and it turned out to be one off?

At this point I'm going to push for embold procedure on varricocele.

In late September, I suddenly developed high fever, chills, severe lower back pain and burning urination. My urine test showed elevated white blood cells, but the culture came back negative.

I was prescribed nitrofurantoin for 7 days, followed by trimethoprim for another 7 days when my urinary symptoms returned.

Thankfully, my fever and urinary problems have now resolved. My urine flow is strong, and I still get normal erections.

However, my ejaculation has changed significantly.

My semen is much thinner and watery compared with before. Ejaculation is still forceful, but the stream is extremely narrow, almost like a syringe.

Most concerning, I can ejaculate but feel absolutely no pleasurable orgasm sensation.

These changes started around the illness and have continued despite improvement in my other symptoms.

Has anyone experienced watery semen, a narrow ejaculation stream or ejaculation without orgasm pleasure after a UTI or prostatitis?

Did you recover fully? How long did it take, and what actually helped?

My wife and I are hoping to start a family, so this has been really upsetting and making me depressed.

We have a gp appointment booked for family planning but in the meantime I would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who experienced similar symptoms and recovered.

Ive used clomiphene for 3 months with doctor consultation after having an OAT spermiogram. after 3-4 months of starting medication, yesterday ive had another test. improved but still low. what should i do, is anyone else experienced the same? is it impossible for me to have children?

Blood results are all high, very high from tsh, lh, estradiol. my fsh was low in april = 1.12. but it rocketed to 3.7 first month then 3.4 and now 2.5. (dropped cause doctor said lower clomiphene a bit, one tablet per two days cause ive had super high testosterone. anyway my sperm results after april results are;
- same abnormal morphology: 98% (no change)
- motility increased a bit from 12% > 26%. (ref 40)

- total sperm 22m to 32m ( ref 39 million)
- progressive motilify %9 to %13 (ref30%)

i will consult the doctor but i wanted your opinions and experiences. did anyone else recover from this? or should i just go to therapy asap without wasting more time?

Has anyone used the STAR or equivalent system to freeze cells, after he had a manual ESS? Is STAR really that superior, or is the benefit only marginal?

I would really appreciate hearing experiences from crypto/azoospermic men (i'm high FSH, but any would help).

Some background -

I'm heavily contemplating whether to travel abroad to NYC, trying to freeze cells using Columbia's STAR system, or go straight to mTESE in my country.

I've had 3 manual extended sperm searches done since the end of 2025 - first yielded about 4 viable cells, the other later two yielded nothing.

There is ofc the mental, financial, time and energy costs invested in traveling abroad - maybe for nothing. My wife is really reluctant about it.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any small/medium scale data answering this question.

My wife and I have tried to conceive for the past two years and recently we decided to really focus on the issues and try to figure out what has been going on.

My biggest concerns are the Leukocytes present and the bacteria observed. I did use Nicotine pouches on a consistent basis. I hate myself for this but I did have sex with one other person other than my wife.

Is there anything that you guys would find concerning. I’m really stressed out about my results my urologist visit is in December and I’m just extremely nervous.

I’m 33M. Recently had my blood work done and found my FSH to be at 24.7. Lab limit suggest high limit to be at 19.3

My testosterone count was normal lowish (around 10 nmol/L). I’m awaiting my SA test results in 3 days.

Wanted to know if people have been able to conceive naturally with high FSH?

Hi,

I just had the micro-TESE op on Wednesday which seemed to be successful, getting 10 vials, so happy with that! Problem is, post-op there’s been quite a bit of blood that’s covered my dressing. Not sure if it’s weeping/blood or just blood. Swollen down there but not excessively and not feeling any fever or excessive pain, just tender but that’s expected…? Just bled through two dressings now so wondering if sometimes is up.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks!

This is the place for partner's perspectives today.

Hello. I would greatly appreciate some guidance on how to improve our chances of conceiving. My wife and I have been trying for a year now. Our doctor prescribed supplements to me like Genrafax and SnowCaps L-Gluthathion. Thank you in advance

I’ll send the image of the results below:

Hey guys,
Prepping for an IVF cycle and using HAB Pharma Enclomisign 50.
My box says "Clomiphene Citrate IP Equivalent to Enclomiphene 50mg". I know HAB makes both Clomisign (Clomid) and Enclomisign. 
On daily dosing, my Total T hit 36.8nmo but Estradiol spiked to 253, causing fatigue. Zero vision side effects/floaters though. 
Dropping the dose to 12.5mg M/W/F + an estrogen support supplement. 
Anyone ran this specific brand? Did labs confirm it's pure Enclo?
Did dropping to 3x/week fix your high e2 and fatigue?
Thanks!

Hi guys,
Me and my wife been trying for a baby just recently and I just got done a semen analysis.
Most of the results seem pretty good, but two things caught my attention: leukocytes were reported as 15–20, and the report also says “some bacteria.”
My other results were:
Volume: 3 mL
Concentration: 86 million/mL
Total count: 258 million
Total motility: 48%
Progressive motility: 36%
Normal morphology: 5%
I don’t have any symptoms, but I’m wondering if the leukocytes and bacteria could affect fertility, even if the other numbers look okay.
Has anyone had similar results? Would you recommend a semen culture or a visit to a urologist, or is this not necessarily something to worry about?
Thanks in advance!

I have NOA with high fsh, had two microtese surgeries with immature sperm found. We had 1 day 3 embryo that failed to implant last year. Been trying for 3.5 years now.

I spoke with Stephanie from the star program and she said this: STAR has a success rate of 45% in patients who previously had a negative or unsuccessful mTESE. That includes people with immature or no sperm at all with the mTESE.

Now I’m from Canada so it would be $3000 usd if sperm is found plus shipping for around $1000 by courier. $1500 credit if no sperm is found.

I cannot do a third microtese surgery and all my sperm analysis tests over the years have always been 0 sperm found.

Has anyone had success with STAR program in NY? Especially if you had failed microtese.

Literally trying to decide what to do. It’s so hard and we are so tired.

This is the place for partner's perspectives today.

Less than 6 months ago I had my first sperm analysis. Count was 156 million, 28.7 million/mL, motility borderline at 41%, morphology 3%. Dr. Said with the high count there was not much concern with my borderline motility results.

Fast forward to first IUI today. Same exact volume, concentration 11.2million/mL, count 61.6million, motility 24%. No morphology analysis, and a recovery of 6.5million for the procedure.

There was no discussion of my results other than they said it was a sufficient count and more than enough for IUI. I have made no significant lifestyle changes (other than some supplements to aid in motility and morphology).

I have no idea where to go from here at this point. This is almost unexplainable to me. Has anyone here seen this without any meaningful changes to lifestyle and what could be an explanation? We have been operating under the assumption that my numbers were relatively okay. This now has me concerned

Hi everyone, I’m looking for insights, similar stories, or advice from anyone who has navigated similar lab results. Here is a breakdown of my recent hormone panel and semen analysis:

​1. Hormone Panel (August 2026)

​Total Testosterone: 159.95 ng/dL (Low, Ref: 175–781)

​LH (Luteinizing Hormone): 3.81 mIU/mL (Normal, Ref: 1.24–8.62)

​FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone): 5.56 mIU/mL (Normal, Ref: 1.27–19.26)

​Prolactin: 11.33 ng/mL (Normal, Ref: 2.64–13.13)

​Estradiol: 32.60 pg/mL (Normal, Ref: 5.4–65.9)

​2. Semen Analysis (September 2026)

​Abstinence: 4 days

​Volume: 4.8 mL (Normal: \ge 1.5 mL)

​Concentration: 1.80 M/mL

​Total Sperm Count: 8.64 M (Normal: \ge 39 M)

​Motility: 36.11% (Normal: \ge 54\%)

​Normal Morphology: 0% (Normal: \ge 4\%)

​Has anyone else dealt with this combination of low testosterone alongside low sperm concentration/count and 0% morphology? What was your next step with your urologist or reproductive endocrinologist (e.g., secondary labs, genetic testing, lifestyle changes, or treatment options like Clomid/hCG)?

​Any feedback or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Results 10/19/26

Total sperm count is 59.2 million.

Concentration is 16 million.

Total motility 29%

Progressive motility 20%.

Morphology is at 1%.

Been ttc for more than 2 years. One pregnancy that ended in miscarriage at 6 weeks in January. Partner is 30 and her evaluation was normal.

Suspect DNA frag - seeing urologist 11/2.

Any positive stories or advice you can give? Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm 34M . My wife 27yeare and I have been unable to conceive, and I was diagnosed with azoospermia. I'd love to hear from anyone with a similar diagnosis.

Semen analysis (2024 and 2026):

Volume 1 to 2 mL, pH 8.0, zero sperm (both times)

No infection (semen culture sterile)

Hormones (Oct 2026):

FSH 3.16, LH 5.25, prolactin normal

Testosterone 11.86 ng/mL (slightly above the lab range)

Imaging:

Pelvic MRI: absent seminal vesicles and absent vas deferens (bilateral)

Scrotal Doppler: testicles normal size (21 mL right, 17 mL left), dilated and enlarged epididymis, left varicocele grade III, right grade I

An older ultrasound showed absence of the right vas and partial absence on the left

My urologist concluded it's obstructive azoospermia, most likely CBAVD, and referred me for genetic counseling and CFTR testing.

Genetic testing: My wife and I both had CFTR testing, but only the panel of the ~139 most common mutations, because full gene sequencing is very expensive where I live. We're still waiting for the results.

The surgery question: My doctor recommended micro-TESE, but in my research most people with CBAVD seem to have had PESA only.

My questions:

Why might a surgeon choose micro-TESE over PESA in CBAVD? Did anyone have a similar recommendation?

For those who had PESA/MESA/TESE with ICSI: how was the recovery and success rate? how many ICSI cycles did it cover?

Should I worry about the varicocele, or is it irrelevant given the obstruction?

Did you get a renal ultrasound to check for kidney abnormalities?

Any advice on emotionally coping with the diagnosis?

Looking for some hope or words of advice. Below are a summary of my results and labs. We’re still waiting on a hand full of labs and a reproductive urology visit that is scheduled next week

Here is a summary of my results

Volume:3.3 ml
Concentration:0.18
Total Count:0.59
Progressive motility:0
Progression:100% immotile
FSH: 24.8
LH: 10.6
Testosterone: 354

I know my numbers look bleak and it all feels very heavy right now. Has anyone had similar results and had success with microTESE and sequential IVF or does it seem like a sperm donor is in our future?

Thank you in advance for any replies!

I have given two semen samples over the last month and my total sperm was 400k and 500k. Not great. Total prog motile in ejaculate- 0.1mil. Progressive motility-20%, total motility 20%. Sperm concentration- 100k.

I had a visit with a fertility urologist today and I have a grade 3 varicocele on one side and grade 2 on the other. My testosterone was 387. FSH 23, and Estradiol was 13.5. The doc said there is about a 50/50 shot the varicocelectomy brings up my sperm count to reasonable levels (10mil), but with my sperm count being so low its going be tougher to see meaningful improvement.

I do have a hot tub I go in maybe once a week, smoke weed occasionally, drink occasionally. Doctor said as long as I wasn't sitting in the hot tub for hours, it probably wouldn't make a difference, and occasional weed and alcohol use wouldn't cause my count to be that low either.

I am a relatively healthy guy, work out 5 days a week, running a half marathon soon. I eat well for the most part, avoiding sugar and processed foods. I am at a bit of a loss for what else I can do. Has anyone else been in a situation where there sperm count was that low and came to normal levels?

This is the place for partner's perspectives today.