Male Factor Infertility

Since male infertility accounts for approximately 40% of all cases, evaluation and optimization of a man’s reproductive health are very important. Certain cases of male infertility are due to a varicocele (dilation of scrotal vein), obstruction of ejaculatory duct or ejaculatory disorders. Up to 90% of male infertility is due to deficient sperm production.

Spermatogenesis (sperm production): Takes place in tiny ducts in the testicles. It takes approximately 72 days of cell division and maturation to have a mature sperm cell. Therefore, sperm ejaculated today is affected by your diet, exposureto toxins, medications,and illnesses from the previous 3 months.

Pregnancy after vasectomy: Sperm may be aspirated from the epididymis (PESA)or testes (TESA) and injected directly into the eggs (ICSI).

Semen analysis measures the following:

Sperm concentration
Motility
Morphology (shape of the sperm)

Sperm DNA Fragmentation Testing: The Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay test measures sperm DNA fragmentation.

Antisperm antibodie: can cause the sperm to clump making fertilization difficult.

Sperm cryopreservation: Patients may benefit by freezing their sperm for future use. For example: prior to receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer, before having a vasectomy or testicular surgery. The sperm can later be used for insemination or in-vitro-fertilization. Since male infertility accounts for approximately 40% of all cases, evaluation and optimization of a man’s reproductive health are very important. Certain cases of male infertility are dueto a varicocele (dilation of scrotal vein), obstruction of ejaculatory duct orejaculatory disorders. Up to 90% of male infertility is due to deficient sperm production.