Do we have a chance to lower DFI score?

[arol]

Hi everyone,

My husband recently took the SCSA test and got results of DFI at 29.7% and HDS at 3.1%. For the most part he lives a healthy life style- he does not smoke, drinks moderately, exercises regularly and eats a healthy diet. He has not been exposed to any harmful chemicals and does not take jaccuzis. While age is the most obvious factor for the higher DFI score (he is in his 40s), additional possibilities could include recent stress and infrequent sex (due to other factors).

We have not tried to conceive yet- were planning on starting soon. I know that this is a forum and not a doctor's office... but if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. Fertility doctors are so expensive (as I'm sure you all know) and I'm trying to find out as much on my own as possible.

Of course we'd like to try natural pregnancy before going with other possibilities.
Over the next 100 days, based on research I've done, we'll try omega 3s, multiviatmins with zinc, selenium and pycnogenol, maca powder...cutting out coffee and alcohol, reducing stress through acupuncture and having more frequent sex. If we're disciplined about this, can we allow ourselves to be hopeful about reducing the DFI to be considered a good level, or is his age too high?


I am younger and in good health, so I would like to believe that if we can lower the DFI to be under 25, then it would be worth trying. Do we have a chance?

[SC-Impatient_in_VA]

There is always a chance, even with a high DFI. Not every man with a high DFI will also have difficulty with conception!

Many times, a high DFI is caused by a varicocele - a vein in the scrotum that overheats the testicles. This can be difficult to diagnose without a doctor and impossible to treat without one since the treatment is surgery.

In men with unknown cause for high DFI -- which many places don't even check -- there is little accepted treatment other than the things you've listed, in addition to eating a diet rich in vegetables and especially brightly colored fruits (for their natural antioxodant and anthocyanin properties) - mango, papaya, berries of all kinds, kiwi, all the brightly colored ones.

May I ask why you had the DFI test done if you are not seeing a fertility doctor and not TTC? Were there other tests that led you believe there might be a problem?

[arol]

BC-Impatient_in_VA -

Thank you for responding. To answer your question honestly... I freaked myself out. I always thought that fertility was mostly related to the woman's age, and so I had planned to finish my degree and do other things while still being done early enough to be at a good age for kids. I know my husband will be considered an older dad, but he is incredibly loving and will be great. I never considered that his age would affect our potential child, but then I happened to come across an article on new reports that show that men over 40 are more likely to father kids with autism, schizophrenia, produce miscarriages, ect. The article stated that the cause was that older men have higher levels of DNA fragmentation....just because as the body ages, more fragmentation occurs.

I guess I'm a planner, so rather than spend months trying and failing or risking miscarriages, I wanted to know in advance what the situation was and what we could potentially do. We took an at home sperm test and the levels came back normal. I wrote to a fertility doctor who was going to charge us $300 for a consultation, and then I found out that you can do the SCSA right from home. I figured, why pay for a consultation in which the doctor will most likely tell us to take this test, why not just take it and then see if we still need help. We figured it might be high due to age - I was relieved that it was 29 and not higher- but of course it's still higher than ideal

Maybe it would have been better to not have known any of this and just gone for it. Our plan was to start TTC in August. I've been through a lot myself this year and I'm finally in a place where I'm ready for children ...and I just want our odds to be as good as possible.

Should we TTC naturally before even considering medical intervention at this point?

Please tell me if I'm being over the top!

Also- thank you for the tip on varicocele - I will look into that more and hopefully his primary doctor can be of assistance

[SC-Impatient_in_VA]

I do think there's no harm in starting TTC a few months earlier than planned. The worst that can happen is your dream comes true a little earlier, and honestly, the younger YOU are, the better your odds of having a genetically normal baby.

The man's sperm does play a role - but regardless of that news report, it is still the eggs that have the biggest impact. If you're over 35, and you don't see a pregnancy within 6 months, it's time to see a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). The RE would probably never have done the SCSA, simply because it doesn't really matter what the result is, the treatment is the same in the end: IVF.

But first they would try other things, stimulation drugs for IUI etc. Only after quite a few failures would they suggest an SCSA, and even then they probably would suggest it only as a way of convincing you to use donor sperm (not that that's a bad thing, I'm just saying, they would not suggest an SCSA as long as they felt you had any chance of conceiving with DH, and since you haven't tried and failed -- they would not suggest it!)

Having a DFI of 29% when 15% or less is the norm is not really the end of your dreams, as there are many, many factors that go into fertility, and you just can't know what your success rate will be like until you give it a shot But I repeat, if you yourself are 35 or older it's best to go ahead and start the baby-dancing now as opposed to waiting until August; because if you DO need IVF you are far better off having these extra few months than having had to wait them out.

[rashin4]

My dh's DFI is 24%... he isnt very compliant but you sure can boost your success by vitamins