Male Infertility: New Treatments, More Pregnancies

The ultimate goal of male infertility treatment is to produce a pregnancy. Ideally, the cause of the infertility is reversible and then conception can result from natural sex. Here are a few common male infertility treatments that will be considered if you go to Metropolitan Urological Services in St. Louis, MO.

•   Varicoceles are fixed with surgery to shut off the abnormal veins. This seems to lead to a significant improvement in fertility, although some studies disagree.
•   Hormonal abnormalities can sometimes be addressed with medicine or surgery.
•   Obstructions in the sperm transport plumbing can often be surgically corrected.

In the past, if the above methods didn’t work, it often meant lifelong male infertility. Today, assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) offer powerful new options.

These high-tech male infertility treatments give sperm an artificial boost to get into an egg. ARTs have made conception possible even for men with very low or abnormal sperm. If you live in Crestwood, Chesterfield, Washington, St. Louis, Missouri, or the surrounding areas, you need to consider these options.

First, sperm are collected either from ejaculated semen or by a needle from the testicle. They're then processed and introduced to eggs by different methods.

•   Intrauterine insemination (IUI.) At the time of ovulation, sperm are injected straight into the uterus. Medicines are usually given to the woman first to boost the number of eggs she releases.
•   In-vitro fertilization (IVF.) Sperm are mixed with multiple eggs collected from the woman in  a plastic dish. Fertilized eggs are then put into the uterus. IVF requires at least some viable sperm.
•   Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI.) A single sperm is injected through a tiny needle into an egg. The fertilized egg is then implanted in the uterus. ICSI can be performed when sperm counts are really low or abnormal.

By utilizing some combination of ARTs for several months, most couples can expect a pregnancy around 40 to 50% of the time.

Male Infertility Treatments To Try At Home

But are there any things you could do on your own to maximize your fertility? Yes. For one, don’t do things to hurt your chances to have viable sperm — marijuana, cocaine, tobacco, and more than two alcoholic drinks a day harm sperm production. Men should avoid hot baths and whirlpools since the high temperatures impede your sperm factory.

Taking testosterone, or any over-the-counter androgen like DHEA (for weight training), can harm fertility. People have had unnecessary surgeries because they forgot to say they were on these medicines.

Of course, living right helps. Anything that improves quality of health, such as adequate sleep and nutrition should improve fertility. If you have any questions about male infertility, Metropolitan Urological Services is the place to go. They help couples all over Crestwood, Chesterfield, Washington, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Causes of Male Infertility

Infertility has historically been thought of as a woman's problem. But the fact is, men do not get off that easily. About one out of every three cases of infertility is because of the man alone, and the man is somehow involved in infertility fifty percent of the time. Here is some important info from Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, MO.

A diagnosis of male infertility may be one of the hardest challenges a man can face. For some, it may be devastating. Not being able to father a child can easily make a guy feel like he’s failing at one of his most cardinal responsibilities. Sadly, some men need to cope with the fact that absolutely nothing can be done about their infertility. But for many other men, advances in male infertility treatment offer real help.

Understanding Male Infertility: Sex Ed 101

To better understand infertility, here is a refresher course on the birds and the bees:

Sperm are produced within the testicles. They're then stored inside yards of “plumbing” known as epididymis, which lies on top of each testicle. Sperm are nourished by semen, which is made by glands along the way. Upon ejaculation, about a hundred and fifty million sperm are ejaculated in a half-teaspoon of semen through the penis. This entire process depends on there being proper levels of testosterone and other hormones in addition to correct signaling from the nervous system.

Women ovulate — send an egg into the uterus — every month. This happens approximately 2 weeks after menstruation. Sex any time in the five days prior to ovulation can make a pregnancy. Sex any other time, even the next day after ovulation, will not result in conception.

It is usually a smart idea to seek fertility evaluation if your partner and you are unable to conceive after one year of unprotected sex. About 85% of couples will have had a pregnancy by that time. If you're over 30, you should seek evaluation after six months. Metropolitan Urological Specialists offers evaluations for couples everywhere in St. Louis, Creve Coeur, Florissant, and Kirkwood, MO.

Common Causes of Male Infertility

The “male factor” plays a role in infertility around half the time, and about one third of the time, it's the main cause of infertility. Most often, the problem lies in the process of either making or moving the sperm.

Any of the following can cause a man to have a low sperm count or abnormal sperm:

•   Varicocele — an abnormal collection of bulging veins above the testicle; they’re the most common cause of reversible male infertility, accounting for 38% of cases
•   Undescended testicle
•   Infections within the testicle (orchitis), the prostate (prostatitis), or somewhere else in the body that causes a fever
•   Chemotherapy for cancer
•   Medications such as anabolic steroids or anti-seizure medications
•   Genetic abnormalities
•   Hormone problems

In many cases, these issues may be reversed, but other times they cannot. An evaluation by a physician is the only way to sort it out.

Sometimes, making sperm just isn't the issue. The problem is getting the sperm where they need to go. Men with this type of male infertility have normal sperm in the testicles. But the sperm in the semen are either abnormal, very low in number, or not there at all. Causes of this kind of infertility include:

•   Retrogradeejaculation. In this condition, semen ejaculates backwards into the bladder instead of out the penis. Usually previous surgery is the cause.
•   Absence of the main sperm pipeline known as the vas deferens. This condition is a genetic problem.
•   Obstruction. An obstruction can occur anywhere in the plumbing between the testicles and the penis.
•   Anti-sperm antibodies. Antibodies can abnormally attack a man's own sperm on their way to the egg.

If you feel that you or your partner might be infertile, go to Metropolitan Urological Specialists in Washington, MO to get the help that you need.