Male fertility refers to the condition of the sperm of a man to produce a baby. Health condition of the baby conceived may depend upon several factors; health condition of sperm is one of them. Male factor infertility is a very common cause of conceiving problem. But the good news is most of the common causes regarding infertility problems in men can be easily diagnosed and treated. Most of the times the doctor will ask you to go for a semen test, where your semen will be sent to the laboratory to determine the shape, count and movement of the sperm.
Infertility Tests
In case a man is having some issues regarding his fertility then it is required to go through some tests.
General physical examination: General physical examinations may include the doctor asking your various question regarding your sexual organ and sexual habits. The doctor may examine your genitals, or ask you about any chronic health problems etc.
Semen analysis: For semen analysis your semen is collected in a particular container and then sent it to the laboratory to determine the morphology and motility of the sperm. If you do not have any infertility issues then your sperm count should meet the required quantity and the condition will look good. In that case, the doctor may recommend tests for your female partner. However, there are some other tests along with semen analysis that can be included.
Scrotal ultrasound: A scrotal ultrasound produces a high-frequency ultrasound to produce image of the testicles to see if there is a varicocele or any other issue inside it.
Transrectal ultrasound: In this test a lubricated wand is inserted into the rectum. It will enable the doctor to check if there is any blockage in the tubes that carry semen.
Hormone testing: Hormone secretion is an important determiner of fertility among men. Pituitary gland, testicles and hypothalamus play important role in this case. Apart from these, other hormonal organs also may responsible for infertility among men. A blood test to measure the level of testosterone is required in such cases.
Post-ejaculation urinalysis: Sometimes, sperm may travel backward and go into the bladder during ejaculation, rather than going outward. A post-ejaculation urinalysis is required to determine the symptoms of sperm in your urine.
Male Infertility Treatments
Tests may determine the issue in male partner and doctors can recommend treatments regarding that. Even if the cause is unidentifiable then also the doctors may able to recommend treatments. However a lot of other factors should be taken into consideration, like sexual health condition of the female partner, scope of assisted reproductive techniques etc. Male infertility treatments include:
Surgery: Surgeries can correct a damaged varicocele or repair an obstructed vas deferens. Even sperm can be directly retrieved from the epididymis, in case of an absence of sperm during ejaculation.
Treating infections: Antibiotic treatments are effective for curing infectious diseases in the reproductive tract.
Treatments for sexual intercourse problems: Erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation can be cured through proper medication or counselling.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART): The sperm may collected ejaculation or surgical extraction and stored in a specialized laboratory and then inject into the female eggs through in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Male factor infertility is a medical condition and most of the time it is curable with proper diagnosis and treatments. In rare cases, if there is no possibility of revoking fertility in men then there is option of seeking help from a donor or adoption. We should look as the possibilities by looking as the positive side of situations.
