‘When I watched the video back there were no swimmers’

‘We had been trying to conceive for around six months with no success. As my wife had been doing ovulation tests, I wanted to make sure I was also contributing my part. I took it upon myself to do a home sperm count test, though I didn’t mention this, as I, like I imagine most men would, assumed everything would be just fine.

I chose a slightly more advanced test which clips onto a phone and uses the phone camera to video-analyse the sperm sample, giving a “low” or “normal” reading and a video of your swimmers. But when I watched the video back there were no swimmers.

A mistake to do the test alone

It was definitely a mistake to do this on my own without sharing with my wife as I was very shocked by the result. After I told my wife of my result (and she was of course very supportive), we arranged an appointment with the GP and, based on my home tests, he was happy to refer me for laboratory tests, which showed I had very low sperm numbers that were of very poor quality.

We were referred to a fertility clinic for treatment, who did their own tests, and concluded that ICSI (intra cytoplasmic sperm injection) would be worth trying. We had two rounds of treatment, the first of which resulted in one usable embryo, but was unfortunately not successful.

Cutting out caffeine and alcohol

To ensure we were as healthy as possible before a second IVF cycle, we both took additional supplements and cut out caffeine and alcohol (which was not fun). The second round took longer than expected and meant that egg collection and transfer were just before and just after Christmas, which made what should have been relaxing family time very stressful.

Again, we had one embryo, slightly better quality this time, and although we had a faint positive test result, it was unfortunately lost a few days later, which was devastating for the both of us. Our friends and family were very supportive, and the clinic have been brilliant throughout.

Difficult decisions

The specialists reviewed our two cycles and concluded that, although it wasn’t impossible that another round of ICSI would be successful, it was unlikely based on my test results and the results of the first two cycles.

We have decided for our next cycle, hopefully early in 2022, we will use donor sperm – this wasn’t as difficult a decision as it might be as we both believe there is more to family than DNA. It’s hard to escape the occasional thought that it’s disappointing to not be able to have a biological family, but I have found lots of good accounts online which are very reassuring. Overall, we’re excited and hopeful for our next cycle.