A paraplegic man has conceived twins thanks to a sperm extraction procedure, after giving up all hope of ever fathering children.
Raul Rodriguez, 34, of Camarillo, California, injured his spine in a car accident in 1997. This led to paralysis in his legs and a diagnosis of anejaculation, an inability to ejaculate, and nonobstructive azoospermia, meaning he had very low sperm levels.
Rodriguez could still get an erection, but after he married wife Angie Rodriguez in 2004, doctors told the man he would never be able to have children. Experts said 'Sorry, your best bet is to look into adoption or a donor - that's it,' Rodriguez told ABC News.
Miracle: Eight of Angie Rodriguez's eggs were fertilized with sperm taken directly from her paraplegic husband's testicles
But now the couple are expecting twin baby girls in May, all thanks to testicular sperm extraction or TESE, where a small section of tissue is taken from a testicle and sperm is removed.
Twelve of Angie's eggs were then fertilized and two implanted in her womb. Both took and the couple are now looking forward to the new arrivals.
'It has already changed my life, and I feel like I've got more life in me,' Rodriguez told ABC. 'It's just made me whole again.'
Dr Philip Werthman, of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal in LA, performed the procedure.
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The doctor said: 'Here is a guy who lost everything, and for whatever reason, he was told the wrong thing. They took away all his hope.'
'I have spent my career dedicated to ... countering misinformation and rumors and old wives' tales about fertility,' Werthman explained.
'Many people are denied the hope of reproduction, even though it's technically feasible,' he added.
Actor and comedian Tom Arnold also went through the procedure with Dr Werthman. Arnold had previously attempted to have a child with four different women.
Success: Tom Arnold and wife Ashley (left) recently celebrated the birth after their child, also after a sperm extraction procedure performed by Dr Philip Werthmen (right). 'Using a syringe, he extracted the sperm directly from my testicle in case. I became an even bigger fan of adoption that day,' Arnold quipped
But on April 9 he announced with wife Ashley that she had given birth to baby Jax Copeland.
Arnold told People.com: 'I went to Dr Philip Werthman, the sperm guru, and agreed to let him try a new procedure where he cut into my scrotum.
'Using a syringe, he extracted the sperm directly from my testicle in case my tubing was the problem. I became an even bigger fan of adoption that day,' Arnold quipped.
It was also a long path for the Rodriguez family who spent three years trying to get Angie pregnant.
'No one is exactly sure why in many men who have a spinal cord injury the sperm quality deteriorates after the injury,' Werthman told ABC.
'It may well be, sitting in a wheelchair, the heat builds up - that's one theory,' the doctor said. 'Many also develop chronic urinary tract infections, and that affects their reproductive tissues.'
The couple tried to use donor sperm but that didn't work and the pair were depressed about the situation before they discovered that IVF was covered on their health insurance.
They were referred to Dr Werthman in June 2012. He removed a piece of testicular tissue through a 2-inch incision in an office procedure that took just half an hour.
Life-changing: A couple are now expecting twins are being told that their father couldn't conceive children
The first analysis wasn't too promising but Werthman confirmed on a second attempt that if isolated Rodriguez's sperm was good enough for the procedure.
Two of the eight eggs that grew into five-day embryos were implanted and just 11 days later Angie discovered she was pregnant.
The baby girls are due next month and the couple are shopping for strollers and cribs. The rest of the eggs have been frozen for possible future use and the pair haven't ruled out more children.
'I just want other guys in my situation to be informed,' Rodriguez told ABC. 'I wish I had known sooner, to find that your sperm can be good.'