[gem1]

Evening all, hope all is well with everyone

We had the results today of my DP biopsy etc and he is found to have Sertoli only syndrome. Just wondering if anyone else's DH/DP has this?

It's been a very sad day today, we still had a little hope up until today.

On a positvie note, our consultant is applying for funding immediately so hopefully we can begin a new journey down the road of donor sperm.

Love to all

Gem x

 

[Mistletoe (Holly)]

My DH has all the right bits, but he has maturation arrest and has had 6 tissue samples taken without a single sperm being found.

I know how you feel. I cried buckets after my DH's second operation. We even nearly got divorced.

You are lucky if your DH is supporting the donor sperm issue as mine has been very against it from day 1 which has made my journey very very hard 

We are thankful that DH was not found to have this condition as it would mean that he could never have made any sperm and he has a DS who is now 15 - that would have thrown up some very big issues for everyone concerned.

Good luck with your journey and get some good counselling. You can still be wonderful parents and deal with any issues that might come your way in the future. Parenting is never easy and I don't think it has to be any more difficult having a donor conceived child as long as it is handled correctly. 

 

[olivia m]

Hi Gem
I can understand your sadness. It is the end of one road, but the beginning of another that I promise can lead to fulfillment of all your dreams of parenthood. We have many men in our Network with Sertoli only cell syndrome. Do have a look at our website and consider joining us (in addition to FF of course), www.dcnetwork.org You may want to consider coming on our workshop at the end of January for those contemplating parenthood by donor sperm or eggs...or you might feel this is too soon and need to spend some time grieving before moving on to donor conception.
Although it feels like a terrible blow now, it can actually be helpful to know the cause of infertility and that there is nothing further to be done. Those whose difficulty does not seem to have a name or a cause often find it much harder to come to terms with and move on.
Take care of each other and best wishes for your journey.
Olivia

/links

 

[carrie lou]

Hi Gem,

First of all  I know exactly how you must be feeling. My DH was diagnosed with Sertoli cell only syndrome a little over a year ago. He underwent a SSR operation to try to find some sperm and despite our best efforts, of course we got our hopes up - sadly no sperm were found. I remember the devastation and finality of being told my DH could never have biological children. I burst into tears right there in the recovery room next to his bed and immediately felt awful for getting so worked up when he was the one who had just undergone a very unpleasant operation and he was being so brave and stoic about it all! I also felt terribly guilty that he had had this procedure all apparently for nothing. I had never even heard of the condition until DH's diagnosis. I started to see all the wonderful things that I love about my DH and grieving for the fact that any children we had would not be able to inherit these from him. 

HOWEVER. We are now 16 months down the road and I am very happily 4 months pregnant thanks to donor sperm.  Looking back, both DH and I are immensely glad that he had the unsuccessful SSR because we now know with absolute certainty that he could never have children biologically, it simply isn't possible. Knowing this allowed us to move on to donor sperm in the knowledge that it was the only was we could have children. Olivia makes a very good point in that respect. Although this obviously is nobody's ideal way to start a family, I can honestly say I am over the moon to be pregnant with a donor conceived baby. My DH has been there every step of the way, from the insemination itself, to taking the pregnancy test, to looking after me through morning sickness and holding my hand during scans. I am certain he will be a wonderful father to this baby, it doesn't matter that he has no genetic link to it. There is more than one way to create a family and we will be just as happy, maybe more so, than most.

I hope this gives you some hope for your future journey. If you want to chat some more, I would be very happy to, just PM me.

Best wishes to you and your DP,
Carrie.