Male infertility treatment

Overview

The medical term infertility means that a couple is unable to conceive after one year of having unprotected sexual intercourse. According to the data, 15% of all couples who are trying to get pregnant in a period of one year are considered to be infertile.

There are several factors that play a role in a couple’s fertility and they are related to both the male and female partner. According to the data, 8% of infertility are male factors while 37% are female factors. 35% of the factors are found in both partners and only 5% of factors cannot be traced to either partner.

When a couple experiences infertility, both partners will be evaluated in the hospital through various tests in order for the actual cause of infertility to be discovered. Until recently it there were only a few options for men with infertility but things are different nowadays due to new tests that are able to determine the actual cause of male infertility and treatments. Assisted reproductive techniques or ART provide a lot of hope for infertile couples.

Causes of infertility in men

In order for the man to be fertile, his hypothalamus and pituitary gland need to be functioning properly and without any problems. Apart from these two parts of the body, a person’s testes need to be functioning properly as well. Due to that fact, there are a lot of different reasons why men may be infertile. According to the experts, up to 40% of all infertile cases are because of certain problems in the testes. Between 10 and 20% of cases are due to blockage in the pathway that sperm use to exit the testes. For instance, prior infection can be the cause of this. No more than 2% of cases are because of certain conditions of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. Men should also be aware that 50% of cases do not have an identifiable cause.

Treatment for male infertility

In order for the treatment to be effective, the underlying cause needs to be treated. The underlying cause will also determine the treatment. In order for the fertility to be achieved, the treatment usually lasts for a couple of months and even years in some cases. Both male and female partners are usually involved in the treatment. If the blockage of the reproductive tract is the cause, a person is most likely to undergo a surgery and remove the blockage. If the cause is related to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, a treatment like human Chorionic gonadotropin, recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone is usually given.

However, people need to know that in some cases infertility cannot be treated.