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Trying To Conceive, Is Calcium Channel Blockers Causing Infertility
Question: Calcium Channel Blocker Causing Infertility? :
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I'm a 33 yo male on a combination of Diovan HCT 320/25 and Norvasc (Amlodipine) 2.5mg daily to control high blood pressure.
My wife and I have been trying to conceive for 6 months now, with no success. We've been researching my medications to see if there could be a problem with them and came across a couple studies and forum postings talking about calcium channel blockers possibly interfering with the sperm's ability to fertilize the egg. Norvasc is listed as one of the CCB's. There was one posting that went so far as to discuss the possibility of using a CCB as a form of birth control.
What I read says that after some people had stopped taking CCB's, they were able to conceive within a couple months.
I talked to my family doctor today and he had never heard of any such side effect and didn't think it would be a good idea to change my medications since they are working so well at controlling my blood pressure. He is sending me for a sperm analysis, so I suppose I'll wait and see what the results of that are and at least rule out other issues.
I know that there could be numerous other issues with both myself and my wife that could be preventing us from conceiving, and I also know that 6 months isn't a very long time to be trying, especially since it would be our first child, but I want to rule out any possible problems.
I would like to know if the CCB that I'm taking could possibly be preventing fertilization from happening, and if so, any suggestions as to my next course of action would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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I'm a 33 yo male on a combination of Diovan HCT 320/25 and Norvasc (Amlodipine) 2.5mg daily to control high blood pressure.
My wife and I have been trying to conceive for 6 months now, with no success. We've been researching my medications to see if there could be a problem with them and came across a couple studies and forum postings talking about calcium channel blockers possibly interfering with the sperm's ability to fertilize the egg. Norvasc is listed as one of the CCB's. There was one posting that went so far as to discuss the possibility of using a CCB as a form of birth control.
What I read says that after some people had stopped taking CCB's, they were able to conceive within a couple months.
I talked to my family doctor today and he had never heard of any such side effect and didn't think it would be a good idea to change my medications since they are working so well at controlling my blood pressure. He is sending me for a sperm analysis, so I suppose I'll wait and see what the results of that are and at least rule out other issues.
I know that there could be numerous other issues with both myself and my wife that could be preventing us from conceiving, and I also know that 6 months isn't a very long time to be trying, especially since it would be our first child, but I want to rule out any possible problems.
I would like to know if the CCB that I'm taking could possibly be preventing fertilization from happening, and if so, any suggestions as to my next course of action would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Dear,
No, I do not think there is any evidence that calcium channel blockers affect sperm function at all.
Do a complete workup before starting treatment haphazardly.
You need to do ALL the following simple medical tests:
semen analysis for you ( to check your sperm count and motility).
blood tests for your wife for the following reproductive hormones - FSH ( follicle-stimulating hormone),LH ( luteinising hormone), AMH ( antiMullerian hormone) , PRL ( prolactin) and TSH ( thyroid stimulating hormone) on Day 3 of her cycle, ( to check the quality of her eggs). Do this from a reliable lab. Day 1 = Day the period starts.
a HSG ( hysterosalpingogram, X-ray of the uterus and tubes) for your wife on Day 8 of her cycle ( to confirm
her fallopian tubes are open);
The vaginal ultrasound scan on Day 11 or 12 should check for the following.
a. Ovarian volume
b. Antral follicle count
c. Uterus morphology
d. Endometrial thickness and texture
Please send me ALL the detailed test results and medical reports. You can scan them as a single doc or pdf file and email them to me.
Please send me all the results together, rather than piecemeal, so I can interpret them intelligently.
With these test results, we can determine what medical problems are causing your infertility.
If there is a problem, it can be treated.
Hope I have answered your query. Please do write back to me with additional details so that I can help you better.
Looking forward to helping you have a baby !
Regards,
Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD
No, I do not think there is any evidence that calcium channel blockers affect sperm function at all.
Do a complete workup before starting treatment haphazardly.
You need to do ALL the following simple medical tests:
semen analysis for you ( to check your sperm count and motility).
blood tests for your wife for the following reproductive hormones - FSH ( follicle-stimulating hormone),LH ( luteinising hormone), AMH ( antiMullerian hormone) , PRL ( prolactin) and TSH ( thyroid stimulating hormone) on Day 3 of her cycle, ( to check the quality of her eggs). Do this from a reliable lab. Day 1 = Day the period starts.
a HSG ( hysterosalpingogram, X-ray of the uterus and tubes) for your wife on Day 8 of her cycle ( to confirm
her fallopian tubes are open);
The vaginal ultrasound scan on Day 11 or 12 should check for the following.
a. Ovarian volume
b. Antral follicle count
c. Uterus morphology
d. Endometrial thickness and texture
Please send me ALL the detailed test results and medical reports. You can scan them as a single doc or pdf file and email them to me.
Please send me all the results together, rather than piecemeal, so I can interpret them intelligently.
With these test results, we can determine what medical problems are causing your infertility.
If there is a problem, it can be treated.
Hope I have answered your query. Please do write back to me with additional details so that I can help you better.
Looking forward to helping you have a baby !
Regards,
Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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