Having a Male Infertility Test

What Is Male Infertility?

Infertility is a problem that is faced, not only by women, but by men as well. Male infertility is caused by the same basic issues that affect women that have found their fertility compromised. In effect, male infertility is any series of complications that create a barrier between the male’s own physical role in pregnancy, and the actual conception of a child with his female partner.
There are two major causes for infertility:

• Physical – your body has some anatomical variance that makes fertility a challenge
• Chemical – your hormone levels are not quite in sync, breaking down hormonal “communications” with your reproductive system

Seeing it written that way makes it seem so simple, but of course, nothing ever really is. There are several treatments for the many problems that you may be having ranging right up to surgery. When experiencing infertility, you will want to seriously consider and discuss each option before you dive in. Though surgery on the male reproductive system is usually a minor surgery with little overall discomfort, there is still a recovery time and possible time off from work required.

Am I Infertile?

• Motility – percent of sperm that are moving in the sample
• Sperm count – sperm found in a standard volume
• Viability – percent that are alive in the sample
• Morphology – the shape of the actual sperm
• Progression – a measure of the sperm’s forward movement
• Volume – the milliliters of fluid in the semen

Your doctor may also want to look at other factors to rule out infection or other possible health issues, such as:

• Liquefaction (also known as viscosity)
• Appearance
• pH
• Agglutination
• Leukocyte count
• Anti-sperm antibodies

What about Home Testing?

There are many home fertility tests for men that can give you a heads-up on a lower than average count, but these tests are no substitute for those that you have performed when you deal with fertility specialists and laboratories. Though you may find that your count is below average with a home test, you cannot discern many of the other factors above, nor can you diagnose the actual underlying issue. Fertility is a booming industry with plenty of companies that love to charge you outrageous fees for herbals, diets, and other confusing but convincing products. If you believe that you are experiencing male infertility, the first person you should turn to is your doctor, not your pharmacist.

Seek Help from a Specialist

You want to ensure that you find a reputable specialist with advanced training and experience in fertility complications. Not all urologists specialize in infertility; some do not even include it in their scope of practice. Conception is a gift that you may well be able to receive, but sometimes you have to go the extra mile and find the practitioner and treatment that works for your unique situation. Ultimately, you will find that overcoming these obstacles is well worth the effort.