Male infertility is responsible for between 30-40% of all fertility issues. Conceive Fertility Center in Irving, Texas, offers semen analysis to diagnose male infertility and offers treatments to improve the quality and quantity of your sperm as well as assisted reproductive technology treatments to achieve successful pregnancies. Call Conceive Fertility Center or schedule a consultation online today for expert male infertility assessment.
Male Infertility Q & A
What is male infertility?
Around 9% of men have fertility problems that prevent them from impregnating their partners. In most cases, male infertility is due to a low sperm count or poor quality sperm. If you and your partner have been trying to get pregnant for 12 months without success, you should both have fertility assessments at Conceive Fertility Center to identify the specific fertility issues preventing pregnancy and get the treatment you need to grow your family.
What causes male infertility?
In many cases, your lifestyle could contribute to your fertility problems. For example, if you smoke, consume too much alcohol, or use drugs, it could affect your sperm. You may also have fertility problems because your testicles are too warm or if you’re exposed to industrial chemicals, radiation, or heavy metals.
Many medical conditions can also interfere with your fertility, including:
- Varicocele
- Infections
- Ejaculation issues
- Immune system dysfunction
- Tumors or cancer treatment
- Hormone imbalances
- Problems with the tubes that transport sperm
Issues like erectile dysfunction or prior surgeries such as hernia repairs or prostate surgeries can also cause male infertility.
How is male infertility assessed?
Conceive Fertility Center offers noninvasive semen analysis to test your fertility. The lab technicians look for five critical factors.
Volume
A healthy semen sample is 1.5ml or greater.
Concentration
A healthy semen sample has a concentration of sperm cells of 15 million per milliliter of semen.
Motility
At least half of your sperm should be active and moving forward. The motility of your sperm indicates how successfully it will pass through the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tube to reach the egg cell.
Morphology
Morphology is the shape, structure, and size of your sperm. Under the strict Kruger criteria, at least 4% of the sperm in a healthy semen sample has perfect morphology. Morphology scores of less than 1% indicate that in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is needed.
Progression
Your sperm needs to be able to move forward to reach and fertilize an egg. Your sperm should have a progression score of three or higher.
How is male infertility treated?
Conceive Fertility Center may recommend lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, reducing alcohol consumption, or weight loss. Additionally, they offer fertility treatments such as intrauterine insemination, IVF, and ICSI either to make it easier for your sperm to reach and fertilize an egg or to inject a sperm cell into an egg to achieve fertilization.
If you’re concerned about male infertility, call Conceive Fertility Center or make an appointment online today.