Hysteropingogram (HSG) and swaying

[Trishy74]

I have a feeling due to my age and DH's age (39 years, almost 40 myself) that my dr. is going to be ordering this for me if I'm not preggo by the end of January. A sperm analysis still needs to be done and I know when I had issues getting preggo last time, sperm analysis came back normal and then I was sent for an HSG which they said my tubes were clear (no blockages). Then I was sent to a fertility clinic which told me my prolactin levels were high so I stopped beta blocker (Verapamil; used for preventative of migraines) which was causing this issue and then took OPK that month and bam got pregnant right away (week and half later). Had HSG done month prior. So I've had my progesterone levels checked (17-OH hydroxyprogesterone test and number is 120 which is good. Had prolactin levels checked and those are good. Had sono done and showed I ovulated last month and have been using OPK's for 4 months now and nothing. I know fertility becomes reduced as some of us get older and well, my hubby does have some kidney issues (transplant recipient) but he had this already when we got preggo with DS 3 years ago and he WAS NOT the issue, I was. So I have a feeling, that if I'm not preggo by January (6 mos of trying), my dr. will order sperm analysis and if that is good, I'm sure I will be the next in order for an HSG test. I'm just wondering, does HSG produce girls? I would think more boy b/c you are opening the tubes up. I do believe although my tubes weren't blocked last time, that having the HSG definitely helped me get preggo. Maybe it's psychological but between doing the OPK for the first time a month later and wham, preggo I just have a feeling the HSG helped me. I'm sure it was a combination of using OPK for first time, prolactin levels down to normal and HSG.

So if anyone has gotten pregnant with a girl, after an HSG, I would love to hear it. I know I got my DS who I love to pieces and more than anything in this world. I always wanted a girl and was a little disappointed when I found out I was having a boy during my amnio back then. However, I feel God gave me my boy to make me realize just how much fun a boy can be. It totally changed my outlook on having a son. But I still would like to have a little girl and if I do get another boy, I won't be devastated. I'll just miss the things you can do with a girl. Buying cute dresses, planning their wedding and just having that different bond. I know I put my mom through hell as a teenager but now since my late 20's, we are best friends and I just couldn't see my life any other way. But I know a boy is true to their mommy as well and like I said, I am so grateful God blessed me with a son so I was able to see the light and see just how much fun it is to be a boy mommy.

K, sorry for getting all sappy! LOL. I'm so embarrassed to even think back or write it down about how I was disappointed finding out I was having a boy when now I think total opposite.

So if anyone has known someone who has had a baby girl after HSG or has had a girl themselves, I'd greatly appreciate some feedback. Thank you.

[atomic sagebrush]

having a girl is great, don't get me wrong, but I have adult sons and they are THE GREATEST. Literally my best friends in the whole wide world and both very easy as teenagers.

Re the HSG, I don't believe that they sway. No one is really quite sure if the HSG does anything theraputically for anyone who doesn't have adhesions or if it's just a coincidence, some people think it may wash away gunk from the tubes that for men with questionable swimmers, may be too much for them. If for the sake of argument, your tubes are easily "gunked up" LOL and you postpone the month after thinking "oh heck this might sway blue" you may give up your best shot of conception for something that probably doesn't sway anyway! So i would def. have you TTC.

[Trishy74]

Thanks for the info. As for having a son, I was the girl growing up who had lots of guy friends and maybe two best girlfriends. I loved hanging around with the guys who worked on hot rod cars. So looking back I don't know why I wouldn't want a boy. Girls can be so caddy! Lol.

As for hsg if I need to get it done I wouldn't skip a month for ttc. I ttc the same month I had it done last time too but nothing happened. I just don't have the time to waste with ttc. I didn't have fsh levels checked yet.

Also I started DH on vitamin d and folic acid about a month ago. Do you know how long it takes to affect sperm? Does it take more than a month?

Thanks for sharing your closeness with your adult sons. Gives me hope! I know DH isn't close with his mom and I have a brother and his relationship is totally different with my mom than my relationship with her. I feel we have a much better bond my mom and I than she has with my brother. So you def give me a sense of hope. I haven't gotten AF yet but due this weekend. HZve a feeling its on its way. :(

[atomic sagebrush]

sperm are being made constantly and so the supps start to help immediately. :)

[Trishy74]

Thank you Atomic.

I was under the impression it may take 60 days or so for the supplements to start working b/c I know when my hubby was taking antibiotics, it took 60 days or so for the sperm affected by those meds or a fever to be of more quality (newer). I just found out last night though that he stopped taking the calcium and vitamin d b/c the pills are too large to place in his pill holder. He's still taking 1 mg of folic acid though. I put him back on my vitamin d pills without calcium b/c they are much smaller. He's taking 2,000 units every other day. I'm hoping that some of that will not be absorbed due to taking it every other day. Thanks again for your help.


sperm are being made constantly and so the supps start to help immediately. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, it really doesn't work like that in terms of sperm, there aren't little separate compartments per every day of development, they're all somewhat mixed in together in layers. Unlike something harmful, where all sperm are being harmed by it and thus the only way to be sure that all sperm are of ok quality is to wait till all sperm possibly harmed by the harmful substance have been ejaculated, with things that are helpful, they start benefiting all the sperm right away at the various stages of development. The ones that are pretty much done developing may be helped less than the ones that are forming, but still it's not a BAD thing, if that makes any sense. Something good is, well, GOOD, even if it's only working for ya for a few weeks.

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/10156-jellybean-factory-%96-understanding-sperm-count-frequency.html

[Trishy74]

I literally LOL'd b/c of the term jelly beans! I totally understand what you are getting at though. I think you used a great comparison for explaining everything. I read that article when I first found your site like 3 months ago but had forgotten what I read. Now I definitely won't forget.

I know you say DH riding a bike or taking a bath helps with girl sway for the man. Since conceiving my son 3 years ago, his company transferred him to a different location which is about 1 hour drive in to work and about a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive home from work. His original work location was a half hour away from home before and when we conceived DS. Would the longer travel time 5 or 6 days per week affect sperm count? He's been doing this now for about 2 years. I did actually call my gyno today to order a sperm analysis for him b/c I'm skeptical of his swimmers. I'm sure you are familiar with my story by now but he did have a kidney transplant in 2005. We conceived DS in 2010 with no problems on his side (just me). Now, since DS goes to daycare and gets sick often, my husband tends to catch everything and sometimes it's a lot worse (say the stomach virus, he was violently ill with it 2 years ago b/c of being immunocompromised). And also, since he's been sick so much in the past 2 years, each time he takes a rx for a sinus infection, he always develops c. difficile and then needs to take a rx to add good bacteria. Before DS, (from 2005 to 2010), my husband NEVER even had a cold after his transplant being on immunocompromised with meds. Looking back, I feel his life has changed so much with illnesses since DS was born (not saying it to be mean in anyway). DS was and is a blessing to us. I do feel that the past 2 years have totally taken a toll on my hubby with getting sick so often and maybe all that driving and sitting down all those hours and then once he gets to work, he's a field tech so he does a lot of driving there too. This is why I'm having my gyno order sperm analysis after 4 mos of trying..oh, and our age...we are both 39.

In your opinion, would all of the above I mentioned make sense in affecting sperm count? I'm dying to get him tested to see what the results are this way I can put my mind at ease if he's the culprit or not. I don't think I would ask my dr. to check him so soon if he wasn't on so many meds. I did call one of his med companies and spoke with them and they did say it can cause low sperm count but DH has been on the same med since before we conceived DS. Unless it affects sperm production more over time? He's been on these drugs (prednisone, cellcept and prograf since Feb 2005).

I can't express enough to you how much I appreciate you taking the time to answer all of my questions. Appreciate it.


Well, it really doesn't work like that in terms of sperm, there aren't little separate compartments per every day of development, they're all somewhat mixed in together in layers. Unlike something harmful, where all sperm are being harmed by it and thus the only way to be sure that all sperm are of ok quality is to wait till all sperm possibly harmed by the harmful substance have been ejaculated, with things that are helpful, they start benefiting all the sperm right away at the various stages of development. The ones that are pretty much done developing may be helped less than the ones that are forming, but still it's not a BAD thing, if that makes any sense. Something good is, well, GOOD, even if it's only working for ya for a few weeks.

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/10156-jellybean-factory-%96-understanding-sperm-count-frequency.html

[atomic sagebrush]

When I have custom blue swayers whose husbands drive a lot or sit at desks, I advise them to get up and walk around once an hour even if just for a minute, for that very reason. Anything that puts pressure or heat on the "jewels" can be bad for sperm health.

I think it's a good idea to have him tested. Yes absolutely these medicines have a cumulative effect and so even if he was ok a few years ago there may be issues now.

What supps is he taking (sorry should know but no way to keep it all straight and don't want to make a mistake)

[Trishy74]

Please, don't apologize for not remembering the supps my DH is taking. You are a very busy woman between answering everyone's questions and being so helpful and taking care of your own family.

Before conceiving DS, he was taking Oscal plus D (from 2005 to 2010), and 5 mg of folic acid. However, last year, the nephrologist stopped him on both of these supps. So I recently started him back up on 2,000 units of D3 every other day and 1 mg of folic acid. He saw his nephrologist 2 weeks ago and she said his D levels are good but it's okay to take the supplement although, she did say his magnesium was a little low so she told him to start taking that. After he saw her, I told him why not take the calcium pills with D that I had purchased for myself when I first looked up swaying and was under the impression that those supps were okay for a girl sway but then found out it wasn't. But I just found out last night that he has not been taking the calcium plus D b/c they are too large to fit into his pill holder. So I told him to start taking vit D3 2,000 units every other day again (those are my supps due to having deficiency last year but I'm okay now). So I think he stopped taking the Vitamin D like 2 weeks ago but before this, he was taking it for almost a month. Folic Acid, I have him taking only 1 mg.

We are going to get sperm analysis done on Friday so I should have an answer soon as to if he is the issue at hand. Last time I thought it was him as well and it turned out to be me. But I've had my prolactin and progesterone checked and I'm good. However, I am waiting to hear from my gyno to do a FSH on me. That blood work he has not done yet. Today is day 3 of my cycle so I probably will have to wait until next cycle. Although, when I went to fertility clinic 3 years ago, they tested my FSH on whatever day I was there and went by whatever number was listed for the phase I was at during my menstrual cycle.

Again, I can't say it enough, thanks for all your help. I figured sitting for a long time during his commute was not good. I know the commute going to work is less time b/c leaves early so not so much traffic but coming home at night can be a nightmare at times.

ETA: DH takes 2.5 mg of prednisone (just asked him). I think that's the lower end of it but he has been taking it for almost 9 years now.


When I have custom blue swayers whose husbands drive a lot or sit at desks, I advise them to get up and walk around once an hour even if just for a minute, for that very reason. Anything that puts pressure or heat on the "jewels" can be bad for sperm health.

I think it's a good idea to have him tested. Yes absolutely these medicines have a cumulative effect and so even if he was ok a few years ago there may be issues now.

What supps is he taking (sorry should know but no way to keep it all straight and don't want to make a mistake)

[atomic sagebrush]

I actually think you should discuss with his doctor before having him take calcium, I am no expert on kidney stuff but my niece's mom has kidney disease and can't have much stuff with calcium in it.

I would also ask about a male fertility supp compatible with his health - there are several on the market and one or the other should be ok for him but would not want to advise you incorrectly on that - some contain megadoses of vitamin/minerals that could be harmful for him and others have weird herbs and stuff he's just better off without.

[Trishy74]

In regard to the calcium, he was not allowed this prior to his transplant. Actually he was on a really strict diet when he was on hemodialysis but since the transplant he is allowed to eat anything and as for calcium they had him on oscal plus d until two years ago and then had him on fosamax plus d because he has osteopenia (side effect of prednisone and also has cataract from it). So I know the calcium is safe for him. She stopped the fosamax bc he was on it for so long and that can only be taken for certain amount of time but they had him on oscal plus d for like 6 or 7 years after transplant bc of how the pred eats away at the bones.

I spoke to my gyno tonight and he said let's see what the sperm count comes back as. I asked him what the next step would be for a low sperm count and he said iui or ivf. I hope it doesn't come to that bc DH works so far from home so to do iui wouldn't work out too well. However dr did say if his numbers are ok than he will send me for hsg. But we just have to wait it out now. I know this past month I did use astroglide when trying to conceive bc my dr said to make sure I was lubed well bc of constant uti a and he referred me to astroglide bc he said ky is garbage. So I'm wondering if that is a problem for us too now. Have to say astroglide works like 100x better than ky! I just feel like I can't drop the astroglide bc I have a valid reason to use it bc I suffered with a uti for 3 mos. hoping its gone now after taking levaquin. If DH sperm count comes back low I will consult with his nephrologist about supplements for him to help sperm count. Id much rather try that than do iui bc of work and not having a sitter for my son.

I will keep you updated once we get results back. Hoping we will have them before christmas since I'm dropping sample off Friday morning. He has to abstain for 3 days so I'm very curious to see what the results come back with. Btw you are correct with kidney disease and calcium and also phosphorous is very bad. But DH is not considered a kidney disease patient anymore per se bc of transplant received. Thanks for all your help.


I actually think you should discuss with his doctor before having him take calcium, I am no expert on kidney stuff but my niece's mom has kidney disease and can't have much stuff with calcium in it.

I would also ask about a male fertility supp compatible with his health - there are several on the market and one or the other should be ok for him but would not want to advise you incorrectly on that - some contain megadoses of vitamin/minerals that could be harmful for him and others have weird herbs and stuff he's just better off without.

[Trishy74]

I'm just updating on my husbands semen analysis since I got back the results today. According to my gyno my husbands count with 3 days of abstinence was 35.7 million. He said a low count would be 15 million or below so no iui. He did say he has had other patients have counts as high as 100 or 150 million but my husbands count is not considered low. He said to give it another 3 mos of trying to conceive and if nothing then he will send me for an hsg.

Atomic do you know anything about speem count? I know my dr said its not considered low but after my dr mentioned he has seen much higher I am still concerned. Would you still recommend a 2 to 4 day abstinence before dtd? I've decided in only dtd around ovulation bc of all the uti issues I've had for the past few months. I do have him taking vitamin d and folic acid too. Should I have him stop it being supposedly he has a normal sperm count? I'm so confused now!

If I get my period next month I have rx for fsh levels to be checked on day 3. I can't think of anything else to get checked bc I've already had prolactin, progesterone checked and ultrasoubd confirmation that I ovukated in October. Maybe the astroglide last month inhibited pregnancy? But my gyno recommended I use it bc of uti and painful intercouse.

I should not I just got a positive opk and I'm worried bc DH last took care of himself on Saturday night which will be 2 days of abstinence if we dtd later tonight. I'm worried bc that soerm count was for 3 full days of abstinence. Should I not use astroglide then tonight or should I wait until tomorrow night to dtd so it would be 3 days of abstinence like his sperm analysis time frame? I'm worried to wait another day to dtd but in the same breathe I'm worried that his sperm count will be a lot less than his results bc it would be one full day if less abstinence. Oy vey! Any help is appreciated in this. Btw was using astroglide due to discomfort not bc of pink sway.

[atomic sagebrush]

sorry i was away yesterday and did not see this til now

35 million is ok. it's enough, but it's NOT enough to start doing a full on sway. There is a lot more in a sperm analysis than just count, what else did they tell you?? I suspect that among the reasons he did have as good a count as he does is because of the Vit. D and folic, PLEASE have him continue those.

DTD at pos OPK has best odds of conception and I would never advise you to wait another day to have 3 days instead of 2 days between rounds. That kind of thing is minor and meaningless. DTD 7 days in a row matters, abstaining for 10 days matters, but things like 2 vs. 3 days is irrelevant. if you didn't attempt, do so NOW and as early in the day as is possible.

The unfortunate truth of being 39 and TTC (and remember I'm right there with ya :) ) is that odds of conception are lower. It takes fully fertile people in their prime of fertility up to 6 months to get pregnant. I understand the temptation to analyze and look for reasons but the real issue is that ya just gotta wait for the golden egg to show up and a fair number of the eggs that we have at 39 are poopy ones unfortunately. So please don't worry too much about "what went wrong last month", just regroup and try try again.

that having been said, IMO not a good idea for your dr. to recommend astroglide and I would not have anyone TTC using that if they were worried about not getting pg. I would have you guys use a little preseed, just enough for the discomfort and if it's a small amount it's not really going to sway blue, it will just be there helping the discomfort without killing off the sperm.

[Trishy74]

Thank you so much for responding! Really really appreciate it. I didn't think the sperm count was that great either. We did an attempt last night about 8 hours after pos opk bc my son didn't fall asleep until late. We used literally 2 small drops of astroglide. Literally to the point my DH said he couldn't even feel it. Lol. It did help me with discomfort. If you were me would you attempt tonight too if I still get pos opk? I know maybe I'm over analyzing here but just wondering when I've gotten pos opk these past few months its usually in afternoon and if I'm at work I know when it's happening bc i see ewcm. So if we wait until like 11 pm when I get pos opk at say 3pm is that waiting too much time in between do you think?

No my dr didn't tell me anything else. I'm waiting to get full test results sent in mail bc I requested them. I even requested the ones from 3 years ago before we conceived my son. My husband was curious to see the changed over the three years. I def want to see about motility etc. I forgot to ask my dr those results. I had a feeling that sperm count wasn't the best. I can only hope it would help us with our dg. I'm sure i will get to the point that I hope for a girl or boy if it takes forever. You still recommend the diet for he correct? If I don't get preggo this month I will not use astroglide next month.

Thanks so much for your input. I will def keep him on folic acid and vitamin d. Maybe up the folic acid for him? 3 years ago he was in 5 mg per day prescribed by dr after kidney transplant. He is now taking 1 mg.

I know you understand how I feel with age. Just wishing I wouldn't have waited so long to try to get preggo bc I really thought if have no issues since once my issue was straightened out three years ago I got preggo a week later. Thanks again for responding. Maybe ill ask my dr to do hsg sooner after I grt my fsh results back next month. Guess anything can try to help those little spermies find their way. Lol.



sorry i was away yesterday and did not see this til now

35 million is ok. it's enough, but it's NOT enough to start doing a full on sway. There is a lot more in a sperm analysis than just count, what else did they tell you?? I suspect that among the reasons he did have as good a count as he does is because of the Vit. D and folic, PLEASE have him continue those.

DTD at pos OPK has best odds of conception and I would never advise you to wait another day to have 3 days instead of 2 days between rounds. That kind of thing is minor and meaningless. DTD 7 days in a row matters, abstaining for 10 days matters, but things like 2 vs. 3 days is irrelevant. if you didn't attempt, do so NOW and as early in the day as is possible.

The unfortunate truth of being 39 and TTC (and remember I'm right there with ya :) ) is that odds of conception are lower. It takes fully fertile people in their prime of fertility up to 6 months to get pregnant. I understand the temptation to analyze and look for reasons but the real issue is that ya just gotta wait for the golden egg to show up and a fair number of the eggs that we have at 39 are poopy ones unfortunately. So please don't worry too much about "what went wrong last month", just regroup and try try again.

that having been said, IMO not a good idea for your dr. to recommend astroglide and I would not have anyone TTC using that if they were worried about not getting pg. I would have you guys use a little preseed, just enough for the discomfort and if it's a small amount it's not really going to sway blue, it will just be there helping the discomfort without killing off the sperm.

[atomic sagebrush]

ok so where you use 2 small drops of astroglide, use 2 small drops of Preseed instead. It's not going to sway and at the least it won't interfere with conception. :)

I think that DTD the night of pos OPK is perfectly fine. Waiting till the NEXT night may be too late.

I don't recommend that husbands follow LE Diet and never for your husband who needs to eat what is proper for his health and well being.

I think 1 mg folic is PLENTY for a DH and high folic acid intake in men may contriubute to the growth of certain forms of cancer so I think keeping it minimal is probably best.

[Trishy74]

Thanks AS! Oh no I meant should I still continue the diet being you said not to do any sway tactics. DH def isn't eating as much as he did as far as burgers, etc. bc I'm not really cooking dinner so much since ds is really picky and I'm doing my own thing for le diet.

So I just got the full results in the mail and I'm having a really hard time understanding everything bc I'm not an expert on sperm analysis. Lol.

So this is the current results for DH sperm analysis; says time of analysis was was exactly 60 minutes:

Total volume: 5.2 ml
Semen ph: 8.5 (states it's high; normal is 7.2 - 8.0)
Viscosity: HIGH (states out if range from normal)
Motility (forward progression): 55% (more than 32 is reference range)
WBC Concentration: <1 (which is normal)
Sperm count: 35.7 million (says >14.9 or above is reference range)
Morphology: 11%. (Reference range is >3.9)



Results from last sperm analysis on August 2010 when on vitamin d and 5 mg folic acid per day:

Total volume: 3.2 ml. (<2.0 ml reference range)
Sperm concentration: 60.0 million ml (<or 20.0 million/ml reference range)
Motility: 85% (>or 50% reference range)
Semen morphology: 37% (> or 30% normal)
Ph: 8.0. (Reference range is 7.2-8.0)
Liquification out of range - partial (reference range comp. 1 hr)
Time of motility: 62 minutes
Leukocytes: few
Red blood cells: none seen

AS since I don't understand all of this stuff does the motility look bad from the current analysis above? I know the analysis from 2010 looks a bit better to me but not sure how much worse the new one us overall. Also ph is high. Can that be a problem?

Thanks for all your help. I greatly appreciate it. Hope you had a great christmas with your family!





ok so where you use 2 small drops of astroglide, use 2 small drops of Preseed instead. It's not going to sway and at the least it won't interfere with conception. :)

I think that DTD the night of pos OPK is perfectly fine. Waiting till the NEXT night may be too late.

I don't recommend that husbands follow LE Diet and never for your husband who needs to eat what is proper for his health and well being.

I think 1 mg folic is PLENTY for a DH and high folic acid intake in men may contriubute to the growth of certain forms of cancer so I think keeping it minimal is probably best.

[atomic sagebrush]

bump this for me if you would please

[Trishy74]

Bump


bump this for me if you would please

[Trishy74]

Bumping for AS

[Trishy74]

Bumping per atomics request.


Thanks AS! Oh no I meant should I still continue the diet being you said not to do any sway tactics. DH def isn't eating as much as he did as far as burgers, etc. bc I'm not really cooking dinner so much since ds is really picky and I'm doing my own thing for le diet.

So I just got the full results in the mail and I'm having a really hard time understanding everything bc I'm not an expert on sperm analysis. Lol.

So this is the current results for DH sperm analysis; says time of analysis was was exactly 60 minutes:

Total volume: 5.2 ml
Semen ph: 8.5 (states it's high; normal is 7.2 - 8.0)
Viscosity: HIGH (states out if range from normal)
Motility (forward progression): 55% (more than 32 is reference range)
WBC Concentration: <1 (which is normal)
Sperm count: 35.7 million (says >14.9 or above is reference range)
Morphology: 11%. (Reference range is >3.9)



Results from last sperm analysis on August 2010 when on vitamin d and 5 mg folic acid per day:

Total volume: 3.2 ml. (<2.0 ml reference range)
Sperm concentration: 60.0 million ml (<or 20.0 million/ml reference range)
Motility: 85% (>or 50% reference range)
Semen morphology: 37% (> or 30% normal)
Ph: 8.0. (Reference range is 7.2-8.0)
Liquification out of range - partial (reference range comp. 1 hr)
Time of motility: 62 minutes
Leukocytes: few
Red blood cells: none seen

AS since I don't understand all of this stuff does the motility look bad from the current analysis above? I know the analysis from 2010 looks a bit better to me but not sure how much worse the new one us overall. Also ph is high. Can that be a problem?

Thanks for all your help. I greatly appreciate it. Hope you had a great christmas with your family!

[atomic sagebrush]

I"m no expert either but honestly it looks pretty good to me, with a couple things that stand out The pH is a little high but that may be partly because his volume was a lot more, and/or he may have a low grade infection (very common) which will clear up in no time. That could also be a reason why his count is down. The high viscosity is actually something to think about - it means his semen was thicker than normal and the sperm may have more trouble getting out of it. You may want to have him take a guanefesin the day of attempt, or just drink a little more fluid that day (if, of course, that is ok for him to do). It may help your sway though, if fewer sperm can get out of the semen. I would have you lay flat for 15 min. to give them a fighting chance (not if he takes the guanefesin, in that case only lay flat for 5 min)

[atomic sagebrush]

Bumping per atomics request.

thank you

[Trishy74]

Thank you so much for your input. I was worried about the viscosity myself. I actually was able to fax the results to my urologist who treats male infertility and she looked them over for me and told me they typically say 40 million count is normal so she said being he isn't far off from it we shouldn't worry. She wasn't worried about ph or the viscosity either which I was surprised about. She did say if we go 6 mos without conceiving we should go to a reproductive endocrinologist due to our age. However DH doesn't want to do iui. I don't think he is allowed to take meds like mucinex which contains that ingredient that could break up the viscosity amount. I told him to drink more water. When we bd the other day at pos opk I laid down for a half hour bc past few months I've done 15 or 20 min and nothing. So I figured it couldn't hurt to extend the time. I know when I conceived ds I passed out for like an hour after and then got up. However I am noticing after we bd that a lot of senen is just coming right out right away. Even after lying down for a half hour or just immediately after bd'ing. Sorry for tmi. Next month I will try 2 dabs of preseed like you recommended just really really hoping that wouldn't sway away from girl. I'm so scared to use that stuff. I had purchased it a few months ago and returned it bc we didn't use it. But I just can't see how astroglide would do anything for us with the viscosity and count. I would think it would make it even harder to conceive. Last month we used a lot of astroglide and this month I used barely any so hopefully we will get good news in 2 weeks but I'm so worried about this month bc it was really difficult with christmas cookies! I def went off the diet and figured few days before ovulation. Very difficult time of year to diet! Lol. Thanks for your help.


I"m no expert either but honestly it looks pretty good to me, with a couple things that stand out The pH is a little high but that may be partly because his volume was a lot more, and/or he may have a low grade infection (very common) which will clear up in no time. That could also be a reason why his count is down. The high viscosity is actually something to think about - it means his semen was thicker than normal and the sperm may have more trouble getting out of it. You may want to have him take a guanefesin the day of attempt, or just drink a little more fluid that day (if, of course, that is ok for him to do). It may help your sway though, if fewer sperm can get out of the semen. I would have you lay flat for 15 min. to give them a fighting chance (not if he takes the guanefesin, in that case only lay flat for 5 min)

[atomic sagebrush]

It's normal for "stuff" to come out. That is mostly dead sperm and empty semen and is totally normal. :) (the stuff we discuss on here LOL)

[Trishy74]

Lol I know right! Some of these things I could never talk to my friends about! Lol. So thankful I have you and everyone else on this site to speak to about these things! Lol. Wow if you ask me bc so much stuff comes out so quickly id say he must have a lot of bad sperm bc it seems like a whole lot and happens right away and a half hour later! When I took his sample to the lab I was like this is it? The amount seemed so little. Lol. But looking back to his last sperm analysis in 2010 he produced less volume but better sperm count. Guess we will see what happens.

You still think I should use 2 drops of preseed next month right? Even though the fertility urologist said things looked ok to her? Just wondering. Preseed terrified me bc of boy friendly. I hate saying that bc it makes it sound so bad about me having another boy. I don't mean it to sound the way it sounds. Just want a chance for a little girly. That's all. Ill be happy with whatever god gives us but just would love to add a little lady into the family. I watch caillou with my ds and when I see caillou with Rosie the little sister I dream that would be my son and a little sister bc I know he would be a wonderful big brother. But I know he would be a wonderful big brother to a little boy too.


It's normal for "stuff" to come out. That is mostly dead sperm and empty semen and is totally normal. :) (the stuff we discuss on here LOL)

[atomic sagebrush]

No, semen doesn't have a brain LOL - there is no difference in what comes out in a guy with super healthy sperm or not. The semen just does what it is meant to do and the sperm swim out on their own if they're good 'uns and don't go anywhere if they're not, and come out in the wash, basically. The semen is just like a life raft for the sperm - the sperm have to do the work to get out of the life raft and into the rescue boat (aka the egg white cervical mucus) and the ones that aren't strong enough to do that, are typically the cruddy ones that ya don't want anyway.

I don't necessarily think you need to use Preseed if you are really not comfy with it but I DO NOT want you using Astroglide. If you need something for comfort, it HAS to be either Preseed or Conceive Plus and not somethign that's going to be harmful to sperm. 2 drops of Preseed can't really sway blue by much, but 2 drops of harmful stuff can kill off at least some sperm and should be avoided in this scenario.

[Trishy74]

Thanks for explaining about the semen. As far as preseed maybe I will skip it next month and if still no bfp then ill use a drop the following month. I definitely will not use the astroglide like you said. Thanks for your help.


No, semen doesn't have a brain LOL - there is no difference in what comes out in a guy with super healthy sperm or not. The semen just does what it is meant to do and the sperm swim out on their own if they're good 'uns and don't go anywhere if they're not, and come out in the wash, basically. The semen is just like a life raft for the sperm - the sperm have to do the work to get out of the life raft and into the rescue boat (aka the egg white cervical mucus) and the ones that aren't strong enough to do that, are typically the cruddy ones that ya don't want anyway.

I don't necessarily think you need to use Preseed if you are really not comfy with it but I DO NOT want you using Astroglide. If you need something for comfort, it HAS to be either Preseed or Conceive Plus and not somethign that's going to be harmful to sperm. 2 drops of Preseed can't really sway blue by much, but 2 drops of harmful stuff can kill off at least some sperm and should be avoided in this scenario.