DH with erectile dysfunction & low testosterone?

[shaynaatl]

Hello all, new poster to this board.

DH is 36 (I am 31), and he has been dealing with erectile dysfunction & low libido for about a year now.  After a lot of self-denial, he finally went to get help a few months ago when we started seriously discussing TTC.  He was diagnosed with low testosterone (low 300's), and his urologist put him on a testosterone gel (Fortesta).  He was also given Cialis to deal with the ED.

After about a month of using the gel, his testosterone numbers jumped greatly (high 600s).  However, the ED was not fixed by this, and the Cialis did not help either.  We've TTC for 2 cycles now and haven't been able to complete the act a single time (he loses his erection soon after penetration).  He asked his Dr if this could be performance anxiety, but the doc believes it's physical and not mental.  On the flip side, he is able to complete the act if he pleasures himself.

Also, one of the side effects of the t-gel is lower sperm count (if taken in "large doses").  DH just ordered a SpermCheck test from Amazon and is going to use that.

Does anyone have any experience or advice for our situation?  He is going to see his urologist again in 2 weeks.  Anything you recommend to ask the Dr?  He may try a different ED drug such as Viagra.  Of course, this is taking a major hit on his self-esteem too.

Finally, assuming the worst and that he isn't able to fix his ED, what would you recommend from a TTC standpoint?  Would an IUI be ideal for us?  At least the positive here is that I don't seem to have any potential TTC roadblocks so far- I have very standard 28 day cycles and can also feel my body ovulating every month.

Thanks!

[Bumblebee]

If you and your DH haven't spoken to a RE you might want to sooner rather than later.  My understanding is that azoospermia is a common side effect of any level of testosterone replacement therapy.  For TTC, there are meds that encourage natural production of testosterone.

i'm sorry that you are dealing with this.  ((Hugs))