Male Infertility

With more couples waiting longer to start families, nearly 10 million men and women are grappling with infertility. In 20 percent of all cases, infertility issues with the male are the sole cause for a couple’s inability to conceive—and a contributing factor in another 30 percent of cases. The experienced infertility specialists at Urology Partners understand how stressful the situation can be for men who are eager to become fathers. We work closely with men to successfully address the medical causes of their infertility.

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“Guys come in trying to figure out why they can’t have kids. They feel that they're under scrutiny and it’s their fault. Then it turns out there’s a medical issue preventing them from conceiving.”

Dr. Weber Chuang

Are you having trouble conceiving?

Plenty of healthy, mobile sperm are need for conception. A semen analysis can determine if your sperm level falls within normal ranges. If not, you and your physician will work together to identify the reason your count is low.

What causes male infertility?

Many factors can affect sperm production, including lifestyle choices, birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal disorders, and cancer treatment.

Medical conditions, including varicocele (varicose veins around the testes), hypogonadism (low testosterone) and azoospermia (lack of sperm in seminal fluid) can also be culprits. But there’s good news: Nearly 90 percent of male infertility cases can be treated with either medications to improve sperm count or surgery to repair reproductive abnormalities. Talk to one of our infertility specialists to see which treatment option is right for you.

Nearly 90% of Male Fertility Cases Can Be Treated

Medications to improve sperm count and surgery to repair reproductive abnormalities can make a big difference.

Lifestyle Changes Hormonal Therapy Microsurgery Treatments Varicocelectomy Sperm Retrieval

Lifestyle Changes

There are proactive steps every man can take to protect his chances for healthy sperm production.

Avoid tobacco, alcohol and drug use. They can all damage sperm production and quality.
Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity not only contributes to diabetes, heart disease and cancer, it also increases a man’s risk for infertility.
Don’t sit in a hot bath or Jacuzzi. Heat adversely affects sperm.
Avoid testosterone use as testosterone replacement may hurt sperm production.

Hormonal Therapy

Hormones play a vital role in male fertility. Two hormones produced by the pituitary gland in the brain—luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)—trigger the production of testosterone and sperm in the testes. In contrast, men who have been undergoing testosterone therapy to treat Low T, suffer from reduced sperm count as a side effect. Once a hormonal issue is identified, your UP infertility specialist will create a custom treatment plan to address the issue.

Microsurgery Treatments

The experienced surgeons at Urology Partners perform a variety of procedures to eliminate obstructions to sperm production and motility, as well as delicate microsurgical reconstruction of the vas deferens, epididymis, and ejaculatory duct.

Varicocelectomy

Varicoceles (varicose veins around the testes) can cause low sperm production and motility. They also contribute to abnormally shaped sperm. During this surgical procedure, a small incision is made below the groin to allow the surgeon to block the enlarged veins.

Sperm Retrieval

For men who have little or no sperm in their semen (azoospermia), or who aren't able to ejaculate, sperm can be retrieved from other parts of the reproductive tract. The retrieved sperm can be used for invitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Non-surgical Sperm Retrieval
If you have anejaculation or retrograde ejaculation, ejaculation can be induced. Then the semen is collected. Medication may help with these conditions.

Testis Sperm Retrieval
There are many ways to get sperm from the reproductive tract. The goal is to get the best quality and number of sperm. Care is taken not to harm the reproductive tract. This will allow future sperm retrieval or reconstruction, if needed. One method is testicular sperm extraction (TESE).

TESE is often used to diagnose the cause of azoospermia. It can also get enough tissue for sperm extraction. The sperm can be used fresh or frozen (cryopreserved). TESE is done in the reproductive endocrinoligst’s office in conjuction with an anesthesiologist and IV sedation. It involves one or two small incisions in the testes.