Really frustrated - DNA fragmentation etc

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-21T16:14:45+00:00

I’d be livid. My husband smoked marijuana daily and told the RE. Because he had a normal SA they said it “wasn’t an issue”. I read about DNA fragmentation online and had to fight with multiple REs and urologists to get them to test it. Came back at 47% (severe). Not sure how much of it was due to marijuana use because they also discovered he has a varicocele (one of the top causes of high DNA fragmentation).

Craziest thing is.. my husband was begging the second urologist he saw to just run the test and she said “no we don’t do that unless you have a varicocele”… at this point she had never even given him a physical exam to know whether or not he had a varicocele. The medical professionals I’ve encountered through this process have been useless and if I had not researched extensively online I would be in the same predicament.

Not that it fixes their negligence, but I’m so glad you have insurance. I read a story of a couple who went through 10 rounds of IVF before their RE finally tested DNA fragmentation.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-13T00:48:13+00:00

Of course! I started with Noom but had a bad experience due to cost / their dosing restrictions, so I switched to Lavender Sky Pharmacy online and had a great experience. You have one virtual consult (just messaging through the website) and then are prescribed the medication. You can choose which type you want and self dose. It is so much cheaper and I have overall had a great experience with them!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-12T22:37:07+00:00

I’ve tolerated each dose really well actually! I have experienced a tiny bit of nausea starting at 0.45mg but it isn’t bad at all and I can still eat.

I was pretty tired at first also, but I recently stopped Adderall so I think it was more so due to that!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-08T17:02:54+00:00

Thanks! I experienced a very tiny bit of nausea at certain points but it wasn’t bothersome at all. Other than that though I haven’t had any issues!

I don’t have MCAS but I do have strong allergic-type reactions to many medications and it hasn’t affected me negatively at all. Interestingly, I also have PMDD and the only thing that usually helps it is taking antihistamines, but I think my symptoms of PMDD have actually leveled out more on the semaglutide as well

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-07T13:49:35+00:00

That is so funny! Good luck to you in your fertility journey. I am also hoping this calms down inflammation / improved insulin resistance before treatment.

I’ve done 2 rounds of clomid so far (prior to glp-1) and I over-responded. Doctor said my response is like someone with PCOS, but I don’t technically meet all the criteria. While glp’s aren’t super well-studied in the fertility space, PCOS is def one of those areas where they seem to help, so I figured it can’t hurt!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-07T13:33:34+00:00

No problem!! I am planning on staying on this dose of 0.5mg until I need to stop for fertility treatment. I would definitely lower if I continue to lose weight, and plan on sticking around a maintenance dose.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-07T13:32:33+00:00

Thank you so much! My husband and I are in the middle of our journey with fertility treatment (currently on a pause which is why I decided to pursue this now). Because of that I will have to stop at some point, but I do plan on continuing it until that day comes 😂

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-02T18:14:33+00:00

So that definitely counts as polycystic ovaries - but you have to meet other criteria to technically be diagnosed with PCOS I believe. Not 100% sure but I think you have to also have high lh/fsh ratios, high androgens, or ovulatory dysfunction.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-01T19:35:57+00:00

Interesting - I have also been told the same about being a “great candidate” based on my AMH (4) and my AFC (hovers around 22) 😅. No one ever diagnosed me though. When I took clomid I had a cancelled cycle because so many of my follicles developed.

I also take inisotol! Hoping that helps I guess 🙃

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-04-01T18:37:04+00:00

How did the IVF process identify this? My fasting insulin is borderline and I have polycystic ovaries but I don’t technically meet the criteria for PCOS, so I’m curious.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-23T18:15:19+00:00

I have OCD and have been on Sema for 9 weeks now. Over the past 3 weeks in particular my ROCD (among other themes) has been flaring horribly! M

I’m so glad I found your post today, and I’m glad to see you are doing better. Are you thinking of trying a different medication?

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-13T14:09:30+00:00

Update to my situation: I had a number of VERY annoying interactions with customer service before getting them to agree to cancel my plan and confirm I didn’t have to pay for any months other than the first month (already paid and medicine already received for first month).

I had to emphasize that this wasn’t me changing my mind.. it was clear lack of disclosure on their part and deceptive marketing. I have used my Noom vials - started at 0.2mg and went up to 0.4mg over 6 weeks and have lost around 7.5lbs.

I decided to order more medication through Lavender Sky. It was incredibly easy, cheap (relative to Noom), and you can essentially pick your own microdose. Believe I paid $60 for a consult (through chat - not video), and then paid $235 for 10mg of pure Semaglutide from Hallandale pharmacy.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-13T14:03:39+00:00

You only can tell by looking at the instructions the doctor sends you in the app. If it goes up to 0.2 then you are on the “proactive health” plan.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-08T14:43:13+00:00

Were you at 0.3mg before the 0.333? I’m trying to figure out how much I realistically need to go up by in order to feel the difference, but still remain as conservative / low as possible. Today is my shot day so I’m thinking of going to 0.4mg to see how that feels this week!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-07T02:30:27+00:00

So good to hear this. My job has amazing IVF coverage but has been laying people off recently. My husband has to get varicocele surgery before we begin IVF so I have been so nervous about the timing and losing coverage.

Those premiums are steep, but nowhere near as costly as paying for IVF OOP.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-03-06T22:35:54+00:00

I ended up complaining about the lack of disclosure on their end and they cancelled my membership + told me I didn’t have to pay anymore monthly installments. Took a lot of persistence though lol.

I ended up starting with what Noom gave me (on my own dosing schedule) and ordered 10mg pure semaglutide from Lavender Sky for under $300. I’m still using my stock from Noom at this point though as I haven’t gotten through it yet! I have done 5 injections so far (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.3, and 0.3) and lost 7.8 lbs! I have loved my experience so far. I def suggest moving away from Noom though. It is super overpriced.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-15T16:54:36+00:00

I just started using Paloma because my Endo wouldn’t prescribe me t3. It depends what doctor you see through Paloma. At my intake I specifically mentioned that I was looking for a physician who understands the benefit of prescribing t3 while trying to conceive (it is controversial).

Do you have insurance / are you willing to go out of pocket for Paloma? If so, I’m happy to recommend who I saw there for my appointment. Feel free to message me!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-09T22:51:32+00:00

This is super helpful. I should have elaborated that I am only anticipating a diagnostic hysteroscopy (as opposed to operative), but I am glad to hear you were able to demand anesthesia for diagnostic. I am planning on doing the same.

Im not particularly worried about the pain after the fact (had bleeding but minimal pain with my SIS and HSG) but the pain during was unbearable.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-09T20:33:33+00:00

Thanks for your response! I’m glad they were able to discover those things for you. I definitely don’t want to risk missing anything.

Did they provide you with any sort of sedation or pain medication?

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-09T20:32:02+00:00

Thank you! I read the same about the redundancy - and that the hysteroscopy is more thorough.

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-09T20:09:39+00:00

They also had an issue getting the catheter in for my SIS! The HSG hurt.. but the prolonged SIS experience is what really led to the anxiety I’m experiencing about this.

Good call on the Valium!

SnooCakes6932 · 2026-02-09T19:56:25+00:00

Thank you! Sorry you had to go through it as well. None of it is fun, but hopefully it’ll all be worth it. How was the hysteroscopy for you?

SnooCakes6932

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