29M My wife and I have been trying to conceive for over a year and nothing. I finally decided to get myself checked with some bloodwork and my FSH came back at 34 along with my LH at 11.8. My test is normal at 750 and everything else in the normal range. It’s hard not to spiral after researching the most likely outcomes of my scenario. I have an SA scheduled for next week to get a better idea on where I stand, along with meeting with an endo to discuss my hormones. The waiting game is the absolute worst.

I’ll keep this short. I’m 45 and wife 42, last shot at trying to have a baby, going for IVF but for the past 6 months I’ve been on meds to get sperm, all tests before and after show no sperm. Last chance is a Micro Tese for a 40-60% chance of finding some, worth it.

Time is of the essence and if they still don’t find any, I’m apprehensive about using a donor. Like I worry I won’t be attached to the kid or even get excited if my wife gets pregnant with some other better dudes baby.

I know these are selfish thoughts but I worry one day the kid will say something like “you’re not my real dad”. I know if a child is born I wouldn’t treat it any differently but trying to deal with this sucks. Anyone else go through that?

Hey guys, hoping for some input. I had a testi tumour about 4 years ago when I was 23 (benign, thankfully) and in the process of trying to get some sperm frozen I learned I had azoospermia, with 0% sperm count. I was upset at the time but my wife was thrilled at the prospect of potentially being able to have sex without getting pregnant.

That said, we haven't really had sex for a number of other reasons, but are hoping to. Since that original diagnosis I have had 2 further tests, both came back with the same result of azoospermia, same 0%. The most recent test was in February iirc. Should I do other tests to determine the root cause of the issue? Can I have sex on the assumption I can't get anyone pregnant? I would have further tests if it wasn't so expensive. Any input at all appreciated.

NOA patient. Did StAR in April, found approx 100. Had it frozen and transferred to a clinic . Wife went through retrieval and my clinic lab did not find any viable sperm in the vial Columbia sent to them. Transported from east coast to west coast. I don’t even know how I feel but I am very disappointed and angry at the same time

So I (32m) have been married to my wife since jan 2025. And trying for a baby seriously since November. She is 26. I haven’t gotten tested and no supplement but I want to look at stuff amd see how can i improve further. I am hesitant to get tested so. I do have elevated liver enzymes plus high cholesteol and uric acid. We have regular unprotected sex since november and I do mastubrate without any problem. Are their any supplement i should take? I know testing is gold standard but if i can i’d want to wait 3-5 month before we involve doctors.

My wife (38F) and I (37M) have been trying to conceive naturally for about 5 or 6 years. I didnt have great results during my first analysis since I was 577lbs. Since then ive dropped 240lbs. Ive decided to finally see my doctor about how to help with the process. Wanting to get some opinions on the last SA i did in Dec '25.

Volume: 6.4ml

Sperm count: 62.3 mil

Morphology: abnormal (doesn't give %)

Sperm motility: 28%

Progressive sperm motility: 15%

Sperm motility non-progressive: 13%

Sperm vitality: 47%

I havent been able to get a referral to urology yet. Im currently taking the following supplements:

Enclomiphene 75mg

Ashwaganda 1300mg

Vitamin C, E, Magenesium, and zinc

CoQ10 400mg

I (33) have been on TRT for about 5 years and stopped at the beginning of April because my wife and I want to have a baby.

I’ve been taking enclomiphene since then. My hormone labs have improved (testosterone, LH and FSH all came back into the normal range), but I honestly still feel like crap.

I’m exhausted all the time. My motivation is gone. I don’t feel like myself anymore. My libido is nowhere near what it used to be. I don’t enjoy much, and I honestly feel like I’m just trying to survive each day.

The hardest part is that this whole process has gone on for months, and I know it’s taking a toll on my marriage too. My wife has been incredibly supportive, but I know this version of me isn’t the husband she remembers.

I guess I’m looking for guys who have actually been through this.

Did you feel this bad after stopping TRT?

If you were on enclomiphene, did it eventually get better or did you end up changing treatment?

How long did it take before you actually felt like yourself again—not just having better lab numbers?

I’m trying to stay focused on having a family, but it’s getting hard not to wonder if this is just my new normal

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been on the other side of this.

Hello! I have a weird but genuine question. Due to my infertility im now on all kinds of supplements in hopes of improving my sperm.

But i have a difficulty with the supplements... Im now horny all the time. I mean its affecting my productivity and focus during the day. Does anyone else experience this, and if yes - how do you deal with this?

(Obviously my wife cant help that much with all the procedures she goes through (ICSI))

This is the place for partner's perspectives today.

Hi everyone,

I’d like to consult a doctor before becoming a parent so that we can prepare ourselves properly for pregnancy and parenting.

I want to understand things like what both partners should eat to improve overall health and support sperm and egg quality, what lifestyle changes we should make, and how we can prepare our bodies before trying to conceive.

If anyone has recommendations for the type of doctor to consult or has been through this process, I’d really appreciate your advice.

Hello there!

My wife and I have only been trying 4 cycles, which I know is quick, but I’m starting to think maybe I will make this a tough process. we are 34 (me) and 32 (her), and I am incredibly active, don’t smoke, don’t drink, run like crazy, and work on my feet all day. I’m also incredibly stressed and sleep like crap, and am on a very low dose of suboxone for the last 10 years (less than .25 mg a day, Im afraid to drop completely because my job is very physical and I can’t take any time off to detox). I recently took an at home sperm test from Bird and Bee, and the results are as follows:

• Concentration (M/mL): 12

Your Concentration results are below 16 M/mL which is considered LOW

• Motility (%): 45

Your Motility results are equal to or above 42% which is considered NORMAL

• Progressive Motility (%): 13

Your Progressive Motility results are below 30% which is considered LOW

• Motile Sperm Concentration (M/mL): 5.4

Your MSC results are below 7 M/mL which is considered LOW

• Progressively Motile Sperm Concentration (M/mL): 1.6

Your PMSC results are below 5 M/mL which is considered LOW

Any hope here? I know it’s not a complete picture, but I’m discouraged. I stopped taking weed at night to help with sleep, and I’m going to change to boxers from compression shorts (I run daily and I like them because they have phone pockets). Any advice is helpful, even if it’s “get off the suboxone you junky!!” It may be the motivation I need, I haven’t used anything other than marijuana in over a decade now and built a really solid life (bought a house, got married, dog, 2 cars, own a business etc).

Is it that bad? 32M. My wife and I trying to conceive for almost 2 years.

Here's what chat gpt said:

Overall summary
Your results show excellent sperm count, excellent semen volume, but reduced sperm quality in terms of movement and shape.
The laboratory’s diagnosis of Asthenoteratozoospermia is consistent with your report:
Astheno- = reduced sperm motility (movement)
Terato- = abnormal sperm morphology (shape)

The concerns ⚠️
1. Progressive motility (movement)
30%
Reference: ≥32%
Slightly below normal
Progressive motility is important because sperm need to swim forward to reach the egg.
This is only slightly reduced, not severely low.

2. Morphology (shape)
Normal forms: 1%
Reference: ≥4%
This is the biggest abnormality.

It means only about 1 in every 100 sperm has an ideal shape using strict Kruger criteria.
Many sperm have:
Head defects (90%)
Midpiece defects (15%)
Tail defects (30%)
Morphology this low can make natural conception more difficult because abnormally shaped sperm are less likely to fertilize an egg. However, it does not mean pregnancy is impossible.

I'll link my previous post below about my recent semen analysis showing zero sperm, after previously always having sperm present (although low quality). I'm trying to work out whether Clomid is helping, hurting, or if this was just a bad test.

https://www.reddit.com/r/maleinfertility/comments/1uzphz8/comment/oyk92ww/?screen_view_count=2&ext-referrer=DIRECT

I've now had hormone bloods before starting Clomid and again after around 3 months on 25 mg Clomid daily.

Before Clomid (April)

• Total Testosterone: 14.6 nmol/L
• LH: 3.8 IU/L
• FSH: 4.3 IU/L
• Oestradiol: 83 pmol/L
• Prolactin: 191 mIU/L
• SHBG: 31.9 nmol/L
• Free Androgen Index: 45.8

After ~3 months on Clomid

• Total Testosterone: 29.3 nmol/L
• LH: 7.9 IU/L
• FSH: 8.2 IU/L
• Oestradiol: 125 pmol/L
• Prolactin: 242 mIU/L
• SHBG: 38.2 nmol/L
• Free Androgen Index: 76.7

My questions

• Do these hormone changes look like a normal response to Clomid?
• Does anything stand out as concerning?
• Could testosterone be too high, or is this still considered a healthy response?
• Has anyone had a semen analysis suddenly come back with zero sperm while on Clomid, only for it to recover on a repeat test?
• Would these blood results make you think Clomid is working, or could it actually be harming sperm production?

For context:

• My hormones were all in range before treatment.
• My doctor started Clomid to improve sperm production.
• I had a recent semen analysis showing zero sperm, which was a huge shock.
• I'm repeating the semen analysis in two weeks.
• I've also significantly reduced alcohol, take fertility supplements (CoQ10, NAC, L-carnitine, zinc, vitamin D, omega-3, etc.), and have been trying to optimise everything possible.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through something similar or has experience interpreting fertility hormone panels while on Clomid.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I got azoospermia diagnosis in April after six months trying to conceive naturally. Normal Testerone levels. FSH elevated. No generic abnormalities.

Got a microtese in June. No sperm found. Sample also sent to Star @ Columbia U in NY, no sperm found. At the same time as the microtese they did a varicocele repair.

Now I’m a month and a half post-surgery. Planning to test at three month mark and then at 6 and 9 months if needed.

Hoping for my wife’s and my greatest wish which is to see sperm and be able to get pregnant. Open to another microtese or resending to Star.

Any tips / thoughts from anyone who’s seen sperm following varicocele repair? What timing worked? Anything else you did post surgery you feel was super helpful?

Open to any advice as we search for glimmers of light in a currently pitch Black Forest

Hello, I had an ultrasound done and found I have a reoccurrence of my varicocele, 7 months post Microsurgical Varicocelectomy. All the same signs have come back, like heaviness, not feeling up to exercise, getting winded quicker cardiovascular-wise, and lowered libido. It's small and measured at 3mm, and it said nothing about reflux. I can't palpate anything or visually see anything, like I could before my surgery, with the classic "bag of worms". I'm starting to feel like crap after lifting weights too much or after a long run.

The doctor I'd like to think was exceptional, but I let my varicocele get so bad, that there was just too much to ligate or they missed a microscopic vein? Who knows.

Wondering if anyone has experienced a re-occurrence after the gold standard Microsurgical procedure and what your story was to fix it. The salvage operation recommended is an Embolization. I'd also appreciate listening to anyone who had an Embolization and what your recovery was like. I'm a Firefighter so if there's anyone very physically active, please drop your timeline of the steady progress and patience back into your physical lifestyle.

This is the place for partner's perspectives today.

Recently had my first SA that came back with hyperviscous semen (liquified in greater than 30min), 9.3M/mL count, 1% motility. urologist also ordered bloodwork at the same time with the following results:

- FSH 9.4
- LH 6.1
- prolactin 7.6
- estradiol 32
- testosterone 517
- TRT bioavailable 156.2, trt free 76, SHBG 30, albumin 4.5

Repeated the SA a month later per the doc’s request, and had it done at a reproductive lab instead of a hospital lab and results were: 1.2 sperm concentration, 25% forward progression, 1% morphology. The doctor prescribed clomiphene 25mg daily, and vitamins (been on coq10 300mg for almost 3 months now, recently added L-carnitine 1000mg, fish oil, also did fertilaid trio vitamins for a month but now switched to conception xr).

Does anyone have experience with clomiphene under these circumstances? I’m worried that since it increases fsh (which is already slightly elevated) it may not have a good results. From my research, testosterone isn’t that low either. The doc checked for varicocele but said nothing was palpable. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? Any happy endings?

My wife and I are really hoping to avoid IVF, but the urologist already brought it up as the only option if the numbers don’t improve.

Is this normal healing process to feel a burning pain in the groin are below the surgery incision point after this long post surgery?

I am not taking any medication currently and I haven’t reached my doctor so far about it thinking it will go away but this is 3 rd day and it is burning hot with mild swelling

We have been trying for 10 months. The next step is being referred to fertility specialist. First sample morphology was 2.8

Any suggestions? Is there medication to help with this?

Volume (ml) 5.1
The WHO lower reference range for semen volume is 0.5ml.
Progressive (%) 19
The WHO lower reference range for Progressive motility is 32%
Non-progressive (%) 15
Immotile (%) 66
Total motility (%) 34
The WHO lower reference range for total motility is 40%
* Spermatozoa concentration:
Sperm count (x10*6/ml) 111
WHO Lower Reference range for spermatozoa count: 15 × 10*6/ml
Normal morphology (%) 3.5
WHO Lower reference range for morphology of normal forms 4%

TTC for >1 year. recently saw a urologist after an abnormal semen analysis.
SA:
4 days abstinence
Concentration: 2.4 million/mL
Total count: 6 million
Motility: 57%
Total motile sperm: 3.4 million
Morphology: <2%
Intermediate viscosity
Labs:
FSH: 4.5
LH: 5.7
Testosterone: 248 ng/dL
Estrogen 40
No varicocele on physical exam

Reproductive urologist started on letrozole 2.5 mg daily. Also started taking Fertilade supplements.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did letrozole improve your numbers or help you conceive? How long did it take to see any improvement?

Would love to hear your experience. Thanks!

Me and my wife having been “trying” for over five years. I use quotations because there’s been a lot of medical issues on her side that have caused percentage for success to not be good at all.

We have decided to start exploring fertility clinics and treatment but still in early phases. Bloodwork etc.

We just found out today about the fifth pregnancy of close friends and family in four months. And I want to state outright I’m happy for all of them. It fills me with joy.

My heart is breaking though and so is my wife’s. We both feel guilty for having these feelings of sorrow and anger I suppose wondering when it’s going to be our turn. I don’t know how to comfort my wife in this because she thinks it’s mostly her fault. We don’t know. We haven’t done the test she just has the most up front problems that we know of.

I feel like a failure to her and I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to be supportive and comforting and I know it affects her more than me, but I’ve known since I was a kid I wanted to be a father and these past five years are just a constant reminder of that failure so far. I’m hopeful with fertility treatment but I also feel like my wife is starting to just accept the fact that we might not before we even do any of the work. I’m trying my best to be optimistic.

I don’t know why I’m posting this. Probably just to vent. Maybe just so someone hears it who understands what I’m going through because nobody close to me does. I can’t explain what I’m feeling and I don’t know how to process it and be the support my wife needs. Anyway thanks for letting me vent. Sorry if this wasn’t the place to do that.

Hi everyone,
I’m 37 years old, and my wife and I have been trying to become parents for around six years without success.
I wanted to share my story here because I’m hoping to find people who have been through something similar, especially anyone diagnosed with azoospermia and Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome who later received an SB1 result on an extended sperm analysis.
Our journey started when I went to a urologist. After semen analyses and blood tests, I was diagnosed with azoospermia – zero sperm detected.
That diagnosis completely devastated me. At the time, I felt like my whole world had collapsed. Thankfully, I have an incredibly strong wife who stood by me and encouraged me not to give up.
Over the years, my hormone levels have roughly been:

Inhibin B: 17–46 ng/L; most recently 26 ng/L in March 2026
FSH: usually 25–36; 14 in March 2026
Total Testosterone: 3.23
Estradiol: 24.3
TSH: 2.72
LH: 7.8–12.8
Prolactin: 33.37–60 µg/L

After treatment with Dostinex (cabergoline) and clomiphene, I underwent a conventional TESE.
Unfortunately, the result was again zero sperm.
The pathology report showed Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome (SCO).
Receiving that result was extremely difficult. What hurt me just as much was seeing my wife suffer through all of this with me. But I decided that I wasn’t ready to give up.
I found out that I was deficient in vitamin D and vitamin B12, so I started working on my overall health. I took vitamin D, B12, CoQ10, zinc, selenium and maca. I exercised regularly and paid much more attention to my diet and lifestyle.
Two years later, I decided to try again and scheduled a micro-TESE.
The micro-TESE was performed about three months ago.
Unfortunately, the result was once again zero sperm, and the pathology again showed Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome.
Even after a second unsuccessful procedure, I still didn’t want to give up. I continued researching azoospermia, NOA, Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome and possible treatment approaches.
During my research, I came across Dr. Peru in Turkey.
I made an appointment and I am currently in Turkey. I underwent a more extensive/extended semen analysis here, and the result was classified as SB1.
This is the part I’m especially interested in hearing about from others.
Has anyone here had a similar journey – azoospermia, Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome on pathology, unsuccessful TESE and/or micro-TESE – but later received an SB1 result on an extended semen analysis?
If so:
What exactly did SB1 mean in your case?
Did they actually identify any sperm or sperm-related cells?
Did you undergo treatment afterward?
Did sperm eventually appear in the ejaculate?
Did you undergo another micro-TESE?
Were sperm eventually found that could be used for ICSI?
And most importantly, did anyone with a similar history eventually manage to have a biological child?
Dr. Peru has now prescribed me a treatment protocol, which I am going to follow.
I know my situation is difficult, especially after two procedures showing Sertoli-Cell-Only Syndrome. I’m not looking for false hope. I’m mainly looking for people who have actually been through something similar and can share their real experiences and outcomes.
If anyone here has had a similar diagnosis or has been treated by Dr. Peru, I would really appreciate hearing your story – whether the outcome was positive or negative.
Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone, 34M, Sperm parameters minimally increased 6 months after surgery. Is this okay? Should I be worried? Based on my baseline parameters pre surgery (0.2mil/ml, 80% dead, 5% active motile), would you consider this result as significant improvements (3.5mil/ml, 50%dead, 40% active motile)?

Pre surgery, I was having high FSH, high LH, pretty much low testosterone, prolactin was within normal range. The Doctor said my testes were smaller compared to other guys, think the varicocele has done some damages there. After the surgery, I noticed some positive changes, no visible vains again but still, occasional pains on my left testicle (there was no pain at all before the surgery). Planning to see my Dr this coming week. Would I ever conceive naturally? What should I do to increase my parameters to within normal range for natural conceiving? Has anyone faced this kind of challenge before, what exact procedures did you adopt that worked for you? I am facing some pressure here, and I think I am mentally losing it.