Prednisone affecting male fertility

[MorgoP]

Hey. Is there anyone has gotten pregnant in the time that their husband has been using prednisone? We are currently trying and we really do not want to get out hope way too high. I’ve got to say that my husband has been on the prednisone for the majority of the past year for a treatment of the UC. He has not been able to get off for more than 2 months before having to start it again. I’ve also gotta say that my husband is currently on it either. and yeah, I guess that it is important to mention that my husband is currently taking 10 mg per day of prednisone. So, what are our chances?

 

[tameeka]

Oh yeah, you are correct, prednisone is a corticosteroid that it is going to cause your husband to have a huge decrease in sperm production! That is why I think that if you would get pregnant in the time that your husband is using it then it is going to be a miracle there is nothing suspicious that you are not able to conceive. I just really do not understand why you have not told about this to your doctor, I mean, that you are trying to conceive. He is going to immediately tell you that you are not being able to get pregnant n the time your husband takes it. so far, my husband is not yet using any steroids, however he is having a spine problem right now and so he is scheduled to have a shot of a steroid in his back in a couple of weeks from now. but, unlike the doc who gave prednisone to your husband, our doctor did mentioned this to us. I really have no idea why your doctor did not mentioned this. I need to say that now we do know well that after he is going to receive this shot we are not going to be able to for the next half a year or so that is why we do not even try. Or better say we don’t hope it. if it does happen then as I said, it would be a miracle. There’s one very important thing that I need to mention and you to remember and it is that steroids are a shock for your system (or your husband’s) and it does not really matter that much if you are a female or a male (although I have a feeling that females have some bigger shocks). And yeah, I do know very well that it is depending on each person that is why there might be some males (or maybe even some females as well) that are not going to have a very big shock (everybody responds differently on drugs), however there might be somebody else who is having some very big issues because of the steroids. Besides, my doctor told me that I can have much more information about it (if I’m truly interested) in the mosby’s drug book, that is why you could search for that book yourself either online or go to search in the local library for it.  I personally never read it (although I would) but I assume that it must be very interesting with lots of information about what you need. I hope you’ll be fine and I wish you good luck. To both of you and your husband. Also you’ve gotta know that questions of this type should be discussed with your doctor and to review the options that you have. like for example, would it be better for your husband to continue with the prednisone for now and to wait with pregnancy or to take him off now and to conceiving and after that to take prednisone. This is in your doctor’s competence.

 

[Emillie Amillie]

I also know this, so I totally do agree with the previous user. Yeah, there are chances that you are going to get pregnant, however they are very low (but, pay attention that there still are some chances, I say so because if there are men taking prednisone thinking that they are 100% bulletproof from conceiving then they are wrong). Prednisone is not a birth control form. even though it does reduces the sperm count and because of this it reduces the chances of getting pregnant, still, using prednisone is not like wearing condoms. But both you and your husband need to keep in mind that his sperm is truly affected quite much and as much as you could understand, the chances getting pregnant are not that high. Besides, pretty much as the previous user, I am also not that sure whether it depends very much on the gender, however in my personal opinion (non professional and non medical opinion), pregnancy would have been even more improbable if YOU were the one who would use it instead of your husband. But, I can say this for sure. Either way, you need to make your husband to go to an urologist and to have some of his samples analyzed. Your doctor is going to tell him whether his sperm count is good enough for you to get pregnant or if it’s that low that you cannot. If that’s the case then I think that you need to ask your gyn to have you a procedure that it is called the IUI insemination (which stands for Intra Uterine Insemination). That’s how you can get pregnant, I think. go and see if that’s suitable for you because this procedure (as much as I know) is pretty simple and it is also relatively cheap either. this procedure is doing by your husband’s sperm being processed and after that it is placed directly into your uterus. As much as I know, there are a lot of people who are having infertility problems and they are using this procedure and from as much as I’ve heard the success rate is pretty high. I think that you need to talk with your doctor about this, at least, and see what she/he is going to tell you. I wish you sincerely good luck with that and I hope you’re going to get pregnant.

 

[Patrick LBS]

Hey there everyone, I really did not know a lot about what you have said up there, is prednisone truly reducing the sperm count and because of this is reducing the fertility?? I have had no idea, I’ve never even heard that prednisone has at least any impact on the fertility. if that’s the case then could you please tell me whether it is going to permanently reduce the sperm count as well as the fertility or all would come back to normal as soon as you would stop from using it? I personally don’t take it so I am not asking this for me but there’s a friend of mine who is also having ulcerative colitis and so his doc told him that he needs to take prednisone. But as you can understand, his doc never mentioned a word about fertility. seeing my friend I do realize that it is very hard to deal with his condition and to live with it. but he has been said that he should not use prednisone continuously that is why he is on and off on it, however he is still pretty frequently taking it so if his sperm has to be affected, then I’m pretty sure it would. And yeah, I am very sure that his doc never mentioned a word about the infertility issues to my friend because my friends tells me everything so I would have been knowing about it. In fact, I’ve just called my friend telling him what I read here and he’s unaware of it. that’s very strange because his doctor gave him a list of side effects and there wasn’t anything mentioned about infertility. The only good thing is that my friend does not plan to have any babies right now, however when the time is going to come should he expect having some difficulties because of it? are there any chances that this drug has nothing, in fact, to do with all of that? I’m now feeling so sorry for him. He’s surely going to have a sit and talk with his doc about it. I’m totally unable to understand, if a person is so affected by this drug (his/her infertility) then why a doctor whouldn’t mention this?

 

[SkirST]

Hey there Morgo P and Patrick LBS, if I would be you then I would not be so worried about it all. honestly, I one have never used prednisone (that is why I said that if I would be you), however my uncle is taking it so I do know something regarding this medicine (I have to say that my uncle is approximately the same age as I am so we are very close and we are talking about everything). He has been using prednisone for a little bit more than one year and he has got to look very and very swollen before he has stopped to use it altogether. But, I have to say that right before he has stopped to use it, his wife has got pregnant. but yes, he was still taking it, his wife got pregnant, he took it for a few more months and then he stopped. It has been their first baby, a baby girl and she was born in 2011. And no, their baby was not affected by the drug as she is now 5 years old and she is all fine and she’s perfectly healthy. Always has been.

 

This is why I am saying that you should not be worried about your husband (Morgo) and you about your friend (Patrick). I doubt that it is affecting male fertility. maybe even if it’s affecting a bit, then not enough to make you infertile (or at least, as you can see, for my uncle). However I have no ideas how this drug prednisone might affect female fertility because I have never seen any women using it. but since my uncle was fine then I think that your loved ones should be fine either. but it is true that people are different and drug are affecting people differently so…

 

I am by no means a doctor that is why I am not going to start what are the possible causes since I can’t be sure, however it is true that you need to go to a doctor and to ask him everything, he knows it all much better than all of us. And yeah, you know what’s the funny thing? my uncle and his wife has been together for a very long time and they have been trying to conceive for about 7 years or so and they could not. then my uncle has been put on this drug, a bit less than a year passed (while he has been on the drug) and they conceived. Maybe it is only a coincidence, I don’t know and I don’t want to say anything, however what if it’s not? this is why I tell you that I think it would be much more better for you to talk with a doctor rather than to blame a medication that you don’t know for sure if it has do to with anything of this. I hope you’re all going to be fine and have children because they are truly our biggest happiness.