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Male Infertility

In order for the male partner to father a child he must first have capable function for intercourse – this is fuelled by the male hormone testosterone.

This gives the general feeling of well-being, sex drive, virility and an erection.

Causes of Male Infertility

Secondly, on ejaculation he must produce sperm that can swim to meet the egg that it needs to fertilise, this is called motility. The sperm also needs to be the correct shape to penetrate the egg, this called morphology.

In the majority of male infertility cases, the problem is genetic and the male partners sperm does not contain the genetic information for normal sperm production.

For men who have a low sperm count, assisted reproduction techniques such as ICSI can help them to fertilise an egg.

Other causes of male infertility can be a blockage that is not allowing sperm to leave the body during ejaculation. This can be because of a previous injury, a sexually transmitted disease, or a vasectomy.

Added to this, men can also make antibodies, which prevents their sperm from being able to stick to the egg and penetrate it for fertilization.

In other cases pituitary hormones in the brain can affect sperm count and this can be treated with hormone injections.

Even when very few or no sperm is found in the semen sample, it can still be possible to surgically extract sperm direct from the testes for assisted reproduction to be successful.

Ask us a question

We understand that infertility is a complex condition that can be very frustrating, but knowledge is power and we encourage you to get in touch and ask us for advice. If you need specific medical advice then we will happily put you in touch with one of our reliable healthcare partners.

Our service is free of charge, so please reach out to us today!