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Hello and welcome to the Fairfax Cryobank Family Forum!
The forum has a new look and the Fairfax Team is so excited to create the best experience for our users.

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Private Donor Groups and Private Sibling Connection Groups are now located under the category "Groups". Search the donor number in the search box and you should find exactly what you're looking for!

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Couples with Fertility Issues

erikim21erikim21 Junior Member Junior Member
I would love to hear some input on other couples dealing with male infertility issues. I have yet to talk to anyone in our same boat. My husband and I have been married for 8 years, found out that he was infertile 3 years ago. Ever since, we have been having problems with our sex life. He takes it very personally.
When we discussed our pursuit of a family - he was more open to using a donor versus adoption. I think that we would love if I were to become pregnant - but I think that he has also finally come around to the idea of adoption as a very viable option as well.
Is anyone else dealing with an insecure husband?

Comments

  • forceps40forceps40 Junior Member
    My husband and I went through male fertility issues. After a year of trying naturally, we got tested and were told that my husband's count was so low that IVF with ICSI was our best option. We did three cycles and only got one positive which turned out to be suspected ectopic and had to be terminated. We thought long and hard about adoption and donor sperm as well. In the end, we went for donor sperm, partly because it was a much cheaper alternative, but also because that way we got to experience pregnancy.

    I was really lucky in that my husband didn't really take it personally that the problems were male factor. He was very open to donor sperm and once we started looking at the donors available, he was even more enthused. We got pregnant the very first cycle which really threw us for a loop! It was wonderful to share the pregnancy together and I think that was more meaningful than knowing it wasn't his sperm you know?

    I think my husband sometimes feels funny when people tell him how much the baby looks like him, but we did choose a donor with similar features and ethnicity.

    If you have any questions or anything, i'd be happy to help any way possible!
  • KJtrips+KJtrips+ Member Member
    I am sorry you are going through this, it can be so hard. I hope with keeping the communication open your husband will come around. Thankfully my husband was/is totally onboard with using donor sperm. He loves being a Dad and I don't think the whole donor thing ever enters his mind. He is however very insecure about telling our kids they are donor conceived and so at this point we plan not to tell them. I know that is not everyone's choice but that is where we are right now.
    Good luck!

    Kat
  • erikim21erikim21 Junior Member Junior Member
    Thank you both for the feedback - it is much appreciated! ~Kim
  • jenp62202jenp62202 Junior Member
    My husband has muscular dystrophy. We talked about using donor sperm while we were dating and he was totally against it. We went through the adoption process(domestic) and it was a very stressful time for us. All the paper work as well as having the birthmother be priority was difficult at times. We finally were active and a birthmother chose us pretty quickly. We got there met her and "our " new baby girl but she changed her mind the next day. After that experience we took a break and discussed donor sperm again. One major reason was money but also we didn't want to have to go through the experience of not being able to take a child home. We picked the donor out together and now have a beautiful little girl.
  • JillJill Junior Member
    We went through the same issue. It took several months after we found out the news before we scheduled another appointment to discuss our options- and even then, I cancelled the appointment one day before and rescheduled for one month later! We started the IUI nearly one year after we found out the news. I think we both had to go through a grieving process first- we had to grieve the fact that we would never share a genetic child together. We also had to work through the painful fact that there was a procedure out there that could help us share a genetic link (IVF), but we would not afford it.
    He had a hard time with knowing we had to use a donor at first- he thought we might have a miracle child (until I pointed out I had not been on birth control for three years). I purchased two books, one of which was extremely helpful- it is called Helping The Stork. This is an emotional process, but we both came to the realization that the second we hold that baby and look into his or her eyes- we would not have wanted it any other way, because that would mean this baby would not exist! Good luck to you! ;)
  • babyboundbabybound Junior Member
    I am sorry that you are in this situation. My husband and I did 5 IUIs and a break in trying before MY HUSBAND told me that he was ready to try a donor. We were not initially going to do a donor. He thought it would be weird and he was not sure how he would feel about it. We researched it a lot. I picked donors that would match his personality, interests, physical appearance. I saved them to my favorites and let him choose. I said that we would use whomever he was comfortable with. And that was that. I am going to have my 6th IUI (and hopefully last!) next week. Give him some time, let him be an active part in the decision making. He may feel like this is out of his control. So, give him his power back. Best of luck to you! :P
  • hoppingpenguinhoppingpenguin Junior Member Junior Member
    We loved Helping the Stork. It's a great book for anyone considering DI.
  • ladymacb29ladymacb29 Member Member
    I don't think my husband has had too much of an ego-blow about needing to use a donor, but I know we both grieved a bit for the cute little red-headed kids we thought we were going to have. He didn't want to choose the donors really - he said it didn't matter much - I'm not sure if he was just distanced or didn't care how we got a kid...
  • natzgnatzg Junior Member
    Hi, we are dealing with male infertility issues as well.

    My husband produced 2 beautiful children from his first marriage and after the second, had a vasectomy. Long story short, I come along and never having had a child of my own, wanted a baby. To be truthful, he would be happy not having another child, but understands how important it is to me and so is willing to do whatever it takes (after many months of discussion and working through issues). He went through the pain and trauma of a vasectomy reversal, but sadly it's not been successful. Off we trekked to Shady Grove and they recommended IVF with ICSI. But first I had to loose nearly 50lbs and the clock was ticking...I was 38. The whole 50lbs thing, the cost of IVF with ICSI and my age really messed with my mind and instead of loosing weight, I gained weight. I think we quietly put the idea of a baby on the backburner for a while.

    Then in August I turned 39 and I felt a firecracker light under my butt....I was determined to be a healthy weight and fit when I turn 40 next year. I've lost 25lbs now. Somewhere in this weightloss process, the baby idea surfaced again. I needed to either make a full go at it one last time or let it go and begin the mourning process. I'd also been quietly tossing around the idea of donor sperm for a few months and finally spoke with my husband about it. He wasn't thrilled, but he's also logical...there is no way we can ever afford IVF with ICSI, especially if we need multiple cycles. And, I am nowhere near loosing another 25lbs. So he finally agreed to it. But he wanted to drive the whole process, to be involved at every stage. This is such a wonderful attitude, and I'm very happy to let him take the reins here. So he's done the initial searches, choosing potential donors for us. I somehow thought with ICI that weight didn't come into it, so imagine my shock when Shady Grove told me I still had to loose another 4lbs! Luckily I'm in a really good place with my weight, and I can manage 4lbs.

    So that's where we are. Still at the beginning really, hoping to having all the preprocesses complete and ready for insemination by mid-November.

    Good luck to all!
  • mariamaria Junior Member
    Hi there everyone!
    I'm here of course because of MFI. My husband had no problem agreeing to use donor sperm and he seems to be having an easier time with it than me. It took me a long time to accept it. I've already had 2 IUI's and no success yet. After the IUI I always feel excited at first but then I can't stop thinking about how we had to use a donor and I tend to freak out during the 2ww. I panic about being pregnant by someone I don't know. What can I do to not have those thoughts during the 2ww? After my BFN's I'm always so sad that it didn't work and anxious to try again. I'm really confused about my mixed feelings.
    Thanks for listening!
  • ladymacb29ladymacb29 Member Member
    Maria - I had the same feelings as you! I think part of it is that I was still 'in mourning' for the kids with my husband that we'll never have and then some sort of subconscious cave-man age instinct that worries if our mate will accept someone else's child as their own. My 6th month of IUIs is what worked, so in addition to the years of trying, I had all those negative pregnancy tests to deal with as well.. It's hard to take and you feel like a failure. I started to want to give up, but my husband kept me going. At one point, I threw the medicine down on the floor and my husband pointed out that that was the medicine that would give us our baby. (And, oddly enough, I think that was the cycle that worked so he was totally right.)

    The best advice I can give you is that keep reminding yourself this is what needs to be done - you're not 'lucky' enough to be able to do it naturally but you'll have a great story to tell your child about how much they were wanted (heck, you can even show them the bills if they enter their teenage years and say that you never wanted them!) If you want to talk, send me a PM here!
  • LayneLayne Junior Member Junior Member
    My husband had cancer as a teenager and due to the treatment he is sterile. We have been together for ten years. Married for five. We always talked about adoption and decided that was the choice for us. But after watching a very close friend go through adoption only to have the birth mother change her mind, we started discussing donor sperm. My husband was actually okay with the idea because he was excited for us to go through pregnancy together. On our third round of IUI it worked. Our daughter is now 15 months old and we couldnt be happier. Lots of people even tell my husband how much she looks like him. We have not really agreed on a good age to explain this to our daughter, but we have a while to think about it. :P
  • baebbaeb Junior Member Junior Member
    Layne wrote:
    My husband had cancer as a teenager and due to the treatment he is sterile. We have been together for ten years. Married for five. We always talked about adoption and decided that was the choice for us. But after watching a very close friend go through adoption only to have the birth mother change her mind, we started discussing donor sperm. My husband was actually okay with the idea because he was excited for us to go through pregnancy together. On our third round of IUI it worked. Our daughter is now 15 months old and we couldnt be happier. Lots of people even tell my husband how much she looks like him. We have not really agreed on a good age to explain this to our daughter, but we have a while to think about it. :P

    Hi Layne: Congrats on the birth of your daughter, I have twin daughters by the same donor as you, I believe. My husband gets the same response from people about how much the girls look like him. :)
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