What is male infertility?
Male infertility is the inability to generate sperms which are of appropriate quality to fertilize the female’s egg. Male infertility is the contributing factor for almost 40 percent of fertility issues in couples. Thus, it is very important to complete tests for male fertility at the same time as testing of the female partner when a couple is unable to conceive after one year of non-contraceptive, regular sexual intercourse.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) for male infertility
When semen analysis shows abnormal results, basic treatments can be used to correct factors that are hormone-related, infection-related and those due to abnormal male anatomy. When such treatments do not work, or if it is a more severe case of male infertility, we recommend in vitro fertilization (IVF). With IVF, the chances of success is much higher than with timed intercourse or Intra Uterine Insemination because:
- The sperm and egg is placed in close proximity in a petri dish in a controlled environment to facilitate fertilization to overcome low sperm motility.
- Fertilization can be achieved with low sperm count.
- The sperms have no chance of “getting lost” in the female reproductive tract since egg and sperm are made to meet in the controlled setting.
Steps in IVF for men
- Ovarian stimulation in the female partner to safely produce as many eggs as possible.
- Retrieval of mature eggs before fertilization in the laboratory.
- Retrieval of sperms from the male partner.
- The embryologist combines the eggs with the most healthy sperm . Sometimes ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is done to aid the fertilization process.
- The embryo is transferred to the female partner’s uterus and then the pregnancy is monitored.
IVF has proved successful in many couples who had been trying to conceive with male fertility issues. If you think male fertility issues are standing in your way for conceiving a child, we recommend you to book an appointment with our fertility specialist.