Infertility in Men

About 10 percent of couples of reproductive age in the United States will have difficulty conceiving. Approximately 30 percent of cases are due to problems in man, another 30 percent due to problems in women and the remainder is unexplained causes or multiple factors involving both partners. If you had sex regularly and without using any birth control for over a year (or six months if you're over 35) without conceiving, see your doctor. Almost 90 percent of couples with infertility problems can successfully undergo fertility treatment. Read about common causes of infertility, possible treatments and how many couples become pregnant after treatment. Note that the success rates vary, since a couple can have multiple problems. 1. Obstructions A small percentage of men has a blockage in their ejaculatory duct that prevents sperm from entering the ejaculation fluid. If the vas deferens or epididymis vessels become clogged or damaged, possibly your sperm can not reach the egg of your partner. The cause of the obstruction could be an infection, injury, birth defects or a vasectomy. Possible symptoms: None. Possible solutions: surgery to repair an obstruction or reverse the vasectomy. Success rate: Depending on the problem and the type of surgery is performed about 50 to 90 percent of men have more sperm in their semen after surgery. About 20 to 65 percent of couples can conceive either through sexual intercourse or by in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. 2. Varicocele The varicocele (dilated veins, similar to varicose veins in the scrotum) increases the temperature of the testicles, which can affect sperm production. Possible symptoms: None (but can detect the problem through a physical examination). Possible solutions: surgery to repair the varicocele. Success rate: Up to 43 percent of men impregnate their partner within one year after surgery and to 69 percent do so within two years. 3. Irregular sperm If you have few sperm or none, if motility (ability to move) is low or abnormally shaped, possibly they are unable to fertilize the eggs of your partner. Possible symptoms: None. Possible solutions: fertility drugs; artificial insemination with donor sperm or with your own sperm if the quantity, shape and motility not have excessive anomaly; or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Success rate: When fertility drugs that aim to increase egg production are combined with artificial insemination, the success rate is between 8 and 17 percent per cycle. With ICSI, the success rate is about 30 percent per cycle. 4. Sperm allergy Your body may develop antibodies that kill your own sperm, most of the time after a vasectomy, testicular torsion (where the testicle twists inside the scrotum), infection or trauma. Possible symptoms: None. Possible solutions: artificial insemination, assisted reproduction or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (drugs with corticosteroids such as prednisone are sometimes used to inhibit sperm antibodies but many doctors do not recommend them because of their side effects). Success rate: When fertility drugs that aim to increase egg production are combined with artificial insemination, the success rate is between 8 and 17 percent per cycle. With ICSI, the success rate is around 30 percent per cycle. 5. Unexplained fertility problems Your doctor may diagnose you a 'problem unexplained fertility' when you cannot clearly state the cause of your problem conceiving. Some experts believe that environmental toxins may be factors that contribute to the disorder but no confirmed no direct association between fertility and these possible problems. Possible symptoms: None. Possible solutions: fertility drugs combined with artificial insemination or assisted reproductive techniques such as in-vitro fertilization. Success rate: When fertility drugs that aim to increase egg production are combined with artificial insemination, the success rate is between 8 and 17 percent per cycle. With in vitro fertilization, about 20 to 40 percent of pregnancies end in cycles. After three years of treatment, the probability that a couple will conceive decreases by about 20 to 25 percent each year. 6. Combination fertility problems It is said that a couple has fertility problems 'combined' when both the man and the woman have a fertility problem. Possible Symptoms: Symptoms vary, depending on causes Possible Solutions: Treatments vary, depending on causes Success Rate: The percentages vary, depending on causes The objectives of the diagnostic evaluation, either exhaustive or limited, are: Determine the medical and psychological causes. Assess the severity and degree of responsibility for it. Establishing a therapeutic strategy that supports the specific diagnosis and meets the expectations of the patient and his partner.