Let’s Talk Men!
Male Infertility. As they say – “in a heterosexual relationship it takes two to tango”. Ok so I added the heterosexual part 😉, but the fact is – we need sperm and egg to create a baby. Male Infertility affects 30-40% of subfertile couples and has been cited to be solely responsible for infertility in 20% of infertile couples.
Men should be evaluated when their female partner is evaluated – so after 6 months for couples in which the female partner is >35 years old or after 12 months if the female partner is under 35.
What does the evaluation entail? A detailed history and a semen analysis is where we start. A semen analysis is achieved when men collect a masturbatory sample in a specimen cup. Ideally the specimen should be collected in the laboratory. If collected elsewhere, transport time to the laboratory should be within 1 hour of collection.
The semen analysis provides information on semen volume, sperm concentration, count, motility and morphology. Semen parameters of men with documented fertility have been compared with those of infertile men and clinical reference ranges have been established. Based on the semen analysis and history, we can make treatment recommendations or may suggest a further workup to understand why the male has decreased values.
Evaluation is the first step!