Male Factor Infertility: Do's and Don'ts

While it seems like most infertility diagnoses and advice are geared towards the female reproductive system, when you’re trying to conceive it takes two to tango!  According to the Mayo Clinic, male infertility plays a role in half of infertile couples.1 During our infertility journey, the first couple of years were spent thinking that my body was the only one with a problem- we had gotten pregnant before so my husband’s sperm must be just fine, right?  Thank goodness for a doctor who was concerned enough with our situation to at least rule out the possibility of male infertility being a factor.  As sad as it might sound, I felt a sense of calmness and renewed confidence learning that we were both a part of the problem.  Apparently we were two peas in a pod.

So what now?

After so much time spent looking into what I could do differently, what my husband could do differently was now added into my endless hours of Internet research.    Although treatment is sometimes necessary for male infertility, here are a few “do’s and don’ts” that can help!

Do:

1. Maintain a healthy diet- Eat lots of fruits and veggies! They have lots of antioxidants that can be beneficial to reproductive health.  
2. Take a daily multivitamin-Being deficient of essential vitamins and fatty acids aids in a decrease of sperm count and quality.  
3. Exercise regularly- but don’t overdo it either! An inactive lifestyle, very similar to being overweight, can weaken sperm production.  Moderate exercise is the key, as extreme workouts can slow things down a bit too!
4. Minimize stress- stress can interfere with necessary hormones for sperm production. 2
5. Have regular sex- With low sperm count, the recommended dose is every couple of days.  This will increase sperm motility and health.  
6. Give Robutussin Cough Syrup a try- This was something we actually hadn’t heard of before, but it was recommended to us by our doctor to help improve motility.  This was one of the many things we tried and something seemed to work, maybe this played a part!
7. Avoid hottubs, saunaus, or anthing with extreme heat that could kill the little swimmers.  
8. Use a fertility friendly lubricant if needed- some of the “more natural” lubricants like egg whites and canola oil can be used (we couldn’t bring ourselves to try these), but you can also use baby oil or a lubricant specifically for baby making such as Pre-Seed.  

Don’t:

1. Smoke- smoking has been shown to decrease sperm count AND motility, as well as “misshapen” the little guys. 3
2. Drink- Limiting alcohol intake is important as drinking can reduce the production of testosterone, and of course, sperm production.  
3. Set laptop directly on your lap- this goes along with avoiding extreme heats; laptops can increase the temperature down there, and why take the chance?
4. Wear tight pants- Although there’s not a whole lot of evidence on this one, this is one we had heard time and time again, and it’s all about keeping everything at an optimal temperature.  
5. Expose yourself to toxins, chemicals, and pesticides.  Try to minimize your exposure as much as possible to these things as they can affect the quality and quantity of sperm. 4

1 Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2015, August 11).  Definition.  Retrieved from

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-infertility/basics/definition/con-20033113

2 Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2015, June 2).  Healthy Lifestyle: Getting Pregnant.  Retrieved

from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/fertility/art-20047584?pg=2

3 Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2015, June 2).  Healthy Lifestyle: Getting Pregnant.  

4 Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2015, June 2).  Healthy Lifestyle: Getting Pregnant.  

-Rachel

HSG EXAM

After our first appointment with the OBGYN doctor, my husband and I took the next steps to determine why we weren’t getting pregnant. For me, that included getting a Hysterosalpingogram done. The purpose of this exam was to make sure that one of my tubes was not blocked. If a tube is blocked, this prevents the egg from being released, which prevents fertilization from being able to occur, which prevents one from being able to become pregnant. Our doctor also said that, often times, even when the test comes back normal, many couples become pregnant soon after the exam. This is believed to be due to there being a small blockage and the test clearing it without them even knowing it was there.

                  We had to wait until my next period started and then go in three to five days after for the exam. This was to ensure that there was no possible way that I was pregnant. Prior to the exam, I did some research, which of course freaked me out. People talk about it being pretty painful and causing a lot of bleeding, plus doctor stuff naturally terrifies me!

Here was my experience with the exam:

                  Upon arrival, I was very anxious and nervous. I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face as I waited for them to begin. As it turned out, it really wasn’t worth stressing out that much over. For the exam, I had to remove my clothing from the waist down and lay on a flat table so that they could take an X-ray of my uterus and fallopian tubes. The most uncomfortable part was the dye as they had to clamp open the cervix and then run a small tube containing the dye into the uterus. The dye was then squirted into each tube to ensure that it could run freely through, indicating that there was no blockage on either side. I was able to watch as the dye moved through. During this time, there was a little bit of uncomfortable pressure, but nothing too intense. It was pretty quick and the doctor told me my results right away, which I was so grateful for. Fortunately, both of my tubes were open, although, one side was a little difficult at first. Overall, everything looked good and normal! Afterward, I had light bleeding for a couple of days, but no other major side effects.

                  Overall, the HSG exam wasn’t too bad. We later found out that we would have had to do it, or something similar, prior to being able to pursue IVF anyway so I’m glad we got it done and out of the way!

-Shauni

Male Factor Infertility

Male Factor Infertility

            Male factor infertility can be attributed to approximately one-third of infertility cases.[1] There are many different factors that can cause male factor infertility. These include: azoospermia (absence of sperm cells), oligospermia (presence of only a few sperm cells), improper shape, slow motility, or sperm cells dying prior to reaching the egg. 2

In October of 2013, my husband was diagnosed with oligospermia and slow motility. When our doctor called to inform us of our test results, I honestly knew absolutely NOTHING about infertility, besides the fact that it existed. All of a sudden, our doctor was giving us all of these medical diagnoses that seemed pretty serious and letting us know that he was not really sure who we needed to see next for assistance. He informed us that it would probably be beneficial to see a urologist and that, if he could not help us, it might be helpful to see a reproductive endocrinologist. Umm… Who?? I had never even heard of these doctors before!

Our Diagnostic Testing:

But let’s rewind a little to how we got this diagnosis. At our first appointment, my husband was asked a number of questions such as, “Have you ever been hit really hard in the scrotum?”, “Have you ever had surgery completed in your scrotum area?”, “Have any males on your side been diagnosed with infertility?”, etc. Then, they informed us that they would need to obtain a semen sample, which could be collected at home. Once collected, the sample had to be kept at body temperature and be brought into the lab within twenty minutes. On a good day, we can make it to the lab from our house in about forty-five minutes. So instead, we rented a nearby hotel and practiced driving back and forth to the lab just to make sure that we would make it in time!

The results took about two to three days to come in. A few weeks later, another sample was collected and analyzed and the results were compared. My husband had 4.4 million sperm cells per milliliter on the first sample and 3.6 million sperm cells per milliliter on the second sample, which seemed like a lot if you asked me! But, to our surprise, it actually was not.

So, how many sperm cells are needed in order to become pregnant?

We soon learned that the average male ejaculates around 100 million sperm cells per milliliter! Technically, it only takes one sperm to fertilize one egg in order to achieve pregnancy. However, the process for this to occur is more grueling than expected. Once a sperm cell is released, it must first make the journey from the vagina into the fallopian tubes. This journey is very strenuous and only a few sperm cells are able to survive. For those that do survive, they must get past the thick layer that encompasses the egg in order to fertilize. Due to the high number of sperm cells that don’t reach the egg, men who produce less than 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen are at risk of infertility.3

However, the number of sperm cells isn’t the only thing that matters. In addition to this, the sperm cell must also be healthy and have adequate motility and function or it will not be able to make it to or enter into the egg. 4

What does a diagnosis of male factor infertility mean?

Thankfully, a diagnosis of male factor infertility does not always have to stop a couple from being able to conceive a child. Based on your diagnosis and specific circumstance, your doctor will be able to recommend what the best route for you and your partner may be.

-Shauni

Resources:

[1]American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (1996-2015). What causes infertility. Retrieved from http://www.reproductivefacts.org/detail.aspx?id=3018

2 Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, August 11). Diseases and conditions male infertility.  Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-infertility/basics/treatment/con-20033113

3 WebMD Staff. (2005-2015). Sperm FAQ. http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/sperm-and-semen-faq

4 Mayo Clinic Staff