Twenty-one year old Karl is looking to start a family with childhood sweetheart Bethany. The couple have been together for 9 years after getting together in their teens.
Karl was diagnosed with the life-limiting condition cystic fibrosis when he was 9 months-old: “I was told I was infertile at 14 years-old, at the time it never really affected me and Beth.”
Cystic fibrosis can affect people’s ability to make sperm, as consultant Kevin McEleny explains: “In Karl’s case, we suspected sperm was being made but the pipe is not there to take the sperm away. We are looking for sperm in the cap at the top – good swimmers.”
If Kevin and his team cannot find any live sperm, they will take biopsies from Karl to see if there is any sperm.
In this episode, we follow as Kevin McEleny operates on Karl to see if he can find moving sperm in the testicles, as Kevin explains: “If we can find good sperm, we will freeze that sperm and they can start IVF treatment. We just need one good moving sperm.”
An embryologist with a microscope is in theatre with the hope that even a singular sperm can be identified. Fluid samples are taken from Karl to test under the microscope. Unfortunately, in the samples taken no sperm is found.
As Bethany waits, she reflects on the possibility of Karl becoming a dad: “It will be sad to see him going through what he is going through if they don’t get good results from the sperm. There is only one chance we are going to get so.”
The hope of Karl and Bethany having a baby lies on the samples taken during the operation. Twenty-four hours later, the couple arrive at the fertility centre to find out the results of the biopsies taken during surgery.
Karl’s surgery to find sperm was a success, Kevin tells the couple the good news: “The operation went okay – we have sperm from you stored. It is there for when you want to go through treatment in the future.”
Karl and Bethany have had the sperm frozen, ready to start their IVF treatment.
