Dr. Abayomi Ajayi

01-4667360, 07026277855 info@nordicalagos.org

The journey to parenthood is different for everyone. If you and your partner are unable to conceive by good old fashioned intercourse, there are many other ways to create your family. Options include egg or sperm donation, surrogacy, in vitro fertilisation, and adoption.

That a man can have an erection and produce sperm does not automatically equate to fertility and ability to father a child. Sperm production is just one step in the intricate process of male fertility.

To impregnate a woman, a man must produce sperms that are highly motile. At least one sperm must be healthy enough to go the distance to fertilise the egg.

But an increasing number of men are failing to fulfil this biological role of fathering children in the bedroom no thanks to declining sperm quality. Quite frequently, lifestyle factors are impacting sperm condition. More men are therefore requiring Assisted Reproductive Techniques such as IVF and other laboratory-focused approaches to be able to complete their families.

Infertility conversations often revolve around women as infertility is frequently seen as a female problem, however the male partner’s role is just as important because research shows 40 per cent of infertility cases are attributed to the male partner.

Women are often the first to seek help from a fertility clinic. More often, women are seeking help even when their male partners are diagnosed for infertility.

But like women, men have a number of fertility issues to cope with, but because such issues are not often as apparent men tend to be less aware.

It does not help that most fertility treatment approaches tend to be relaxed towards men. When couples are challenged by infertility, men don’t usually come out but keep blaming the women. However, male infertility is rampant and couples need to begin to see themselves as being jointly responsible for the causes of infertility.

The myth that it is only women who are responsible for infertility has to be dispelled because there are many causes linked to male factor infertility. You need to know that male factor infertility is a worldwide problem but there are now many advancements in the treatment all of which are widely available.

We know that sperm counts are declining and some men have no sperm at all (azoospermia). Out of every two sperm samples, one has a problem so as a man you need to be further aware so that you can quickly make the right decisions.

More male factor issues are coming up today more than in the past. The problem of abnormal sperm count and bad sperm parameters and the higher incidence of genetically deformed sperms are becoming worse.

Engaging in some vocations is not helping matters as they impact negatively on a man’s reproduction potential. It is important to know that some of the causes could be genetic.

The environment and adverse lifestyle habits contribute to the problem. There is too much consumption of drugs, anabolic steroids and all kinds of concoctions.

If you are a couple experiencing difficulty in achieving conception, repeated failed assisted conception or recurrent miscarriages, you may need to be investigated for the problem of male-factor infertility.

Male factor infertility is a common cause of the fertility issues couples face. However, some form of male infertility is reversible with the right diagnosis, lifestyle choices, and treatment.

As a man you continuously produce sperms which take at least two months to mature. With positive lifestyle changes, you can achieve great improvements in sperm quantity, depending on the severity of damage.

The goal with any treatment is to get the sperm as close to the egg as possible. The severity of the case, the fertility status of the female partner, and comfort level of the couple together dictate the planned course of treatment.

For moderate and severe male infertility IVF is usually preferred because it has advantage of making more eggs available for fertilisation. Through a technique called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, the sperm can be injected into the egg under high magnification. A single sperm is injected directly into the centre of an egg. Each egg is then monitored for signs of fertilisation and embryo development.

ICSI is very effective for overcoming male infertility because it greatly improves the chances of men with abnormally low sperm count and poor sperm motility.

Semen analysis and sperm counts aren’t the most enticing topics of conversation for most men, but if you’re having trouble conceiving, you may need to have “the talk” with your man.

Some men don’t even like to visit the doctor for a regular check-up, so the thought of going for a fertility workup is probably not on your to-do list. But not being proactive about your fertility may be even less manly.

If your partner feels uncomfortable or embarrassed about that first doctor’s visit, offer him your support and remind him you’re in this together. Infertility is a shared problem and should be addressed as a couple.

Sometimes male infertility can be the sole problem for a couple trying to get pregnant, but infertility can also be caused by a combination of female and male factors.

Male infertility is usually diagnosed through a semen analysis, and for the most part, abnormalities are associated with the sperm. The sample will be tested for volume of ejaculation, sperm concentration, sperm motility (how well sperm move), and sperm morphology (the size and shape of the sperm).

Men often feel terribly guilty when they see how their wife is suffering because she’s repeatedly not pregnant. In addition, a woman may be angry as well as guilty because she knows it’s not her partner’s fault. These feelings can cause each partner to withdraw from the other, both not wanting to hurt the other one by talking about their true feelings on the subject.