[svenfoure]

I had been on lipitor for many, many years. It does an amazing job on lowering cholesterol and if there were any physical side-effects I was lucky enough to not experience (or notice) them. So I do not have an issue with this drug or any statins for their prescribed use. My blood test before going on lipitor had my cholesterol at x 280. The last one before the following story was x 120. Lipitor lowers cholesterol, no two ways about it.

After about a year or more of trying to conceive, my wife suffered an ectopic (tubular) pregnancy in August of 2008. After this her fertility doctor insisted that we use in vitro fertilization as another ectopic would render her unable to conceive permanently. There was no reason given for the failed pregnancy other than "it just happens sometimes." The embryo wasn't able to get through her fallopian tubes and to her uterus so it just stopped in the tube and started growing. For those who don't know, if it were to continue to grow where it stopped the tube would have eventually burst which could cause death within hours of it happening if it was not dealt with directly. So the embryo, along with one of her fallopian tubes, was removed from her body. It was a major surgery and a very depressing time for us both. Her physical and mental strength during this time was nothing short of amazing. It needed to be. That is an awful experience from a man's perspective. I can't dream of it from a woman's point of view.

So after her recovery we went the way of IVF. First time, three good to very good quality embryos transferred in to her uterus. None of them "stuck". Failed IVF cycle. Second time, same thing. Failed IVF cycle. Third time, the doctor tried a different approach, used different fertility drugs, actually shrunk the uterus so the embryos had little place to go but the lining of the walls of the uterus. Same thing. Failed IVF cycle. At this point the doctor -- who is nationally recognized as an expert in the field -- literally said " I have no idea why this isn't working."

That's when I took to the internet to research why it may be happening. Low and behold, a possible connection between statins and sperm quality. Apparently, along with cholesterol, statins attack the Coenzyme Q10 in our internal systems which affects the make-up and strength of every cell in our bodies. That would explain why the 9 embryos that looked so good going in during the IVF cycles didn't make it. They LOOKED fine. On a cellular level they were not strong. It would also explain why the one that fertilized on it's own didn't have the "staying power" to complete the trip on it's own.

At this time I should probably note that I had 2 sperm tests. Both showed total sperm count in the 130 - 140 million range with only 1-2% without some form of defect. But even 1-2% of over 130-140 million is still several million "good ones". You only need one, right? But the deformities were clearly caused by something. The fertility doctor asked me 3 questions: "Are you a painter?" No. "Do you work at any of the local oil refineries?" No. Apparently the fumes from either of those two on a consistent basis can be harmful to sperm health. "Are you on any cholesterol-lowering medications?" We all now knew that I was. He said that wasn't necessarily the cause and there is no concrete evidence that there is a link between the two. Even so, that's all I needed to hear.

I decided to take my self off of lipitor. BEFORE YOU LET THIS POSTING INFLUENCE YOU AT ALL... the decision to do this was mine, but I consulted with both the fertility doctor and my private doctor about the idea. Also, I would consider my self a very health-conscious individual. I eat a lot of fruits, nuts, and grains, get plenty of fiber, and do cardio exercises at least a couple times a week. But with my cholesterol x 120 and the doctors telling me cholesterol doesn't jump up over night, it goes up gradually and a couple months off a statin won't be harmful, I made the decision.


I found that it takes x 3 months to get all of the lipitor -- or sperm cells affected by it -- out of your body. I was already taking 100 mg of Coq10 at that time for general health purposes. When I stopped lipitor I increased it to 200mg. After I hit the 3 month mark I jumped it to 300 mg That last addition probably didn't matter.

THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO CONCEIVE DURING THE FIRST CYCLE AFTER THE RECOMMENDED TIME TO GET THE LIPITOR OUT OF MY SYSTEM RESULTED IN A POSITIVE PREGNANCY.

Now we are still in the early stages so it is possible that there is time for something to go wrong. My emotions range from guarded because of all the disappointments we've had in the past (anyone who hasn't lived through a failed IVF cycle hasn't lived through the 2 week emotional rollercoaster ride) to thrilled that all my research and effort may have paid off to angry that I may have been the reason this road has been so long and had so many turns and bumps in it.

But I sit here today typing this a man with a pregnant wife. So far so good. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I also sit here typing it because the information I gathered from people like yourselves and postings such as this one are the one and only reason I made the decisions that I did. Reading about the disappointments and successes of many of you made me dig deeper and look for more answers.

So this posting is an obligation for me, and a thank you to all of you who tried to help someone else by writing your story. And I'm sure it goes without saying, I'm hoping something I wrote will help someone else -- at least one person -- and they can pay it forward.

Good luck to all who arrive after me.
And Thanks to all who were here before me.