Breaking the Taboo: Male Infertility

Sperm is released with semen when a male ejaculates. Usually, over 40,000 sperm are released and it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg and result in pregnancy. With these odds, it can be hard to understand why male fertility is so common – also hard to understand why there remains a stigma around male infertility that prevents men from being tested and presuming the problems conceiving stem from a female infertility factor.



In recent years, male factor infertility has become a more open subject with high-profile celebrities like Lance Armstrong raising the subject of fertility problems in men following cancer treatment and research being conducted into the likelihood of using stem cells to create artificial sperm. However it is still a taboo subject. The British Andrology Society’s annual conference this week at Queens University, Belfast will attempt to tackle the subject of male infertility and look at how the fertility problems affecting men can be treated. He will also tackle infertility treatments and how we as society can make male infertility less of a taboo and offer the same support and understanding we reserve for infertile women.

Male fertility problems stem usually from a low sperm count or poor quality sperm. A simple sperm analysis test can identify problems with the motility, the morphology and a reduced number of sperm present in semen. Once the reason for the male infertility has been identified, fertility specialists are able to recommend a treatment method. If male infertility caused by low sperm count or poor sperm quality is preventing pregnancy, IVF with ICSI has a high success rate.

ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a successful IVF treatment for male sperm problems because it allows doctors to choose only the healthiest sperm for fertilization of the egg. Out of the 40,000+ sperm that are released through normal ejaculation during intercourse, only one sperm will penetrate and fertilize the egg. Using ICSI, IVF specialists clean and sort sperm that has been separated from a semen sample and choose the single healthiest sperm. This one sperm is then injected directly into the centre of the egg, resulting in fertilization in over 70% of treatment cycles.

Male infertility is more common than people often realize. Perhaps it is time to remove the stigma around male infertility, convince men that sperm analysis should be one of the first tests made when conception problems arise, and allow men to talk openly about the feeling they have when infertility affects them.
WhereismyDoctor.com is currently in the process of adding an open forum to the website allowing patients to share stories, offer advice and seek answers from doctors and patients alike. If you have an infertility story you think would benefit others, please do write to us at contact@whereismydoctor.com.