FSH: men & women are the same
It is interesting, the more we understand about reproduction, the more we see that men and women are very similar creatures (biologically speaking of course). Here, in particular, I use FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) as an example. As you know, if you have been trying to conceive for enough time that your wife has started into testing, you quite possibly have heard about this hormone,...if it is a high reading that comes back, the western medical (somewhat erroneous) interpretation is that the woman is near the end of her reproductive potential. The same would apply to men. If FSH readings came back high, it shows that the brain is no longer telling the testis to produce more sperm, it is yelling at them,..mostly because they are not responding well anymore. What we have to do is quiet and improve the testis environment so that they can again hear these messages from the brain.
This is an indicator that a man either 1. is near the end of his fertile years, or, 2. needs to make changes to his external life to ensure better health & normal fertile responses internally.
The good news is, just like women, if guys, you get a diagnosis of high FSH, then there is a lot you can do to improve your situation, but you have to put in some effort. Outside of the biology that makes men and women similar, a major difference that I have seen over the years, is that women are more willing to do the work necessary to change their situation, in regards to health and fertility in particular. Stats now basically pin the infertility equally to men and women, so it is time that the men step up & do what they can to suport the efforts toward health and parenthood. If the men only knew how much they will enjoy being a dad, they would do anything, I mean anything to accomplilsh this goal.
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Azoospermia with high FSH
My husband has been recently diagnosed with azoospermia with high FSH and LH. His testosterone level is on the low end of normal. His urologist said that unfortunately there is nothing that can be done in this case and that he will not be able to have any biological children.
Do you think that there is any hope here? Have you treated patients with the same condition with success? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!
more info needed...
I would need to know a little more, i.e. the cause of the azoo. Is it sertoli cell failure, or is there just no sperm in the ejaculate and the testis are still producing? Sertoli cell failure is something I cannot help. But if the testis are still producing sperm then this is something chinese medicine and acupuncture can help optimize, as it is likely a blockage, and tese or mesa procedures could find sperm, IF we get the fsh to come down and hormone levels to normalize.
azoospermia
Hi Spence,
Thank you for your reply. We have not done the testicular biopsy so we are not sure if he is producing any sperm at all. His urologist said that he could do it but highly doubts that he would find anything since his FSH levels are so high.
Both my husband and I are not sure that we would want to go through IVF with ICSI. Do you think that it would still be worth doing biopsy in that case? If it turns out that he does not have Sertoli cell failure, do you think that Chinese medicine could help improve his azoospermia?
Thank you again for your help
my opinion, its worth while...
even if you are 'unsure' whether ivf will be in your future, checking for sperm at least lets you know if this option would be one that would involve your husbands sperm. If there is sperm, I recommend extraction and freezing, just so you know you have options while you decide your path. Then, yes, if there is sperm, Chinese medicine could help optimize the sperm that are being made, so that if needed, another fresh extraction may yield even better quality sperm.
All the best.