No little Darrells

Cycle #13, CD #8. Our Reproductive Endocrinologist’s visit was two days ago. It was a very serious consultation with lots of big medical terms that I cannot pronounce, much less write down. In essence this is what he said (or at least my interpretation!):
1. There are several things that can cause azospermia (lack of any sperm). One is a condition where the epididymis is missing (the duct that holds mature sperm). This is uncommon but can be easily checked out with a blood test. If the FSH level is high (normal is 10), like 30, then he will need to go through an examination to see if the epididymis can be felt. If it is missing, the sperm can be aspirated with a needle. If it is not, then the condition [insert big word here] may still be fixable. But we would have to go out of state to another fertility clinic and so few women have been impregnated by men with these conditions that we would make medical news. The bottom line: no matter what it is and how it is fixed, IVF would be our only route. We just don’t have the money now for more than one IVF procedure and it is not worth it to us to go through great lengths for one shot. Darrell did give blood though so we’ll know his FSH level in a day or two.
2. A good solution for us would be Donor Insemination. He suggested trying semen from a brother of Darrell’s. He does have a brother, too. Darrell half-way liked this idea. Me? Yikes! I can’t imagine going for visits year after year and seeing him as my baby’s “biological daddy.” No thank you! He is a very nice guy and would probably do it too. Of course, if it is really important to Darrell, my opinion may be swayed. The doctor said many times that with my proof (charts) of ovulation, I had a 70% chance of pregnancy. Whether or not he meant in one IUI or overall is unclear.
3. I asked about Glucophage XR (Extended Release) since I have trouble remembering to take my regular Glucophage ½ an hour before every meal. He said it is great and thinks it may be the only kind available in a few years. My OB/Gyn had nixed this saying there was no data on it, so I feel like I am going behind her back. :o) The doctor did say, however, if I got pg while on it, that he would want me to stay on it through my first trimester. I was happy to hear this, because I have also seen the research on how Glucophage lowers the miscarriage rate of those with Insulin Resistance. So, I got my new prescription.
That was the appointment in a nutshell. Darrell is really scared of needles and went sheet white while the nurse took three vials. Poor baby! I had to reward him with seeing “Spiderman” (which was GREAT!) and taking him to an all-you-can-eat, creat- it-yourself stir-fry restaurant called “Stir Krazi”. That was fun!
We are to wait for the FSH level info and of course, redo the SA. Then we’ll go from there. It looks like IUI with donor semen is staring us in the face. But I am deeply saddened by the fact that we won’t have any “little Darrells”. :o( It is strange that I have actually mourned over this the past few days and months. We have shed many tears and had many conversations over all this, but what can we do? We know we want a baby and that I want to be pregnant (so, so much), so there is really only this path to take. IUI & Donor Daddy catalogs, here I come.