10 Oct The importance of Male Factor Infertility & Sub-Infertility
One of the biggest mistake couples make is discounting the male aspect and putting all the focus on the female. Current research suggests that male infertility or sub-infertility accounts for approximately 40% of fertility issues.
It is important to know that sperm health has very little to do with a male’s virility and general health. In fact, many of the men who have lower sperm counts are very healthy, and have a great sex life. Unlike a female whose fertility sometimes can be seen with menstrual abnormalities, it is extremely hard to know when a male has fertility issues as it will not result in erectile, libido or other sexual signs. The health of male fertility can only be assessed via a sperm analysis so it is recommended all couples see their doctor for a sperm analysis.
Poor sperm health may be responsible for a host of issues including some surprising ones such as recurrent miscarriage, blighted ovum, and in IVF lack of quality fertilised embryos or no embryos at all. There is a clear relationship between Sperm Concentration, Motility and Pregnancy rates.
The good news is that men have a huge advantage over women when it comes to improving their fertility as new sperm are made every day. We can do wonderful things for sperm by hitting the male body with a big punch of Anti-oxidants, Acupuncture and Herbal medicines. We know that sperm take 90-120 days to fully generate, and with the right treatment based on a semen analysis, the results can be outstanding – in many instances we see extremely poor sperm quality change to increase a couple’s chance by over 50%.
The top 10 things that affect sperm health are;
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Recreational drugs
- Excessive weight
- Poor diet
- Past illness / STI / Trauma / Varicocele
- Post -viral infection, particularly covid!
- Advanced paternal age – Not only female but male fertility declines with age!
- Exposure to chemicals
- Hormonal
Want to know more, hear it from a Male Fertility Expert HERE
Your Sperm test & Acceptable rates
Be cautions of what you are told when it comes to sperm – most of my patients are told their semen is ‘fine’ and this may not actually be true. Quality of semen has decreased drastically in the last 50-years, we are seeing an average concentration fall on average of 1.4% between 1973 and 2011. This means men ejaculate is containing 52% less sperm that it did in the past, and is more likely to be abnormal in shape.
The world health organisation (WHO) in 1999 revised its acceptable sperm rates to reflect the growing trend of poor sperm, NOT fully taking into account fertility particularly when it comes to natural fertility.
Healthy ranges are as follows;
- Volume 2-6mls
- Concentration 20-79 million /mL
- Progressive motility >50%
- Morphology >12%
To find out more about these rates see this Article:
How does poor sperm affect fertility?
As mentioned male factor infertility or subinfertility, inlcuding poor sperm contributes to 40% of fertility issues! Not just natural concpetion but also during IVF. Research suggests that poor sperm affects every step of the process;
- Poor embryo development
- Failure of fertilisation in IVF
- Failure to implant in ICSI
- Post-implantation loss and malformations
- Increased miscarriage rates
- Poorer childhood health
It’s more than just fertility!
Its not just about Fertility, its actually a window into Men’s health. More and more evidence is emerging that male reproducitve health and overall health are closely linked. In fact several studies have linked male infertility with incrrease risk of cancer; such as colorectal cancer, melanoma and postate cancer (1).
Alongside this several studies have also linked an infertility diagnosis with increase comorbidity of hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (2). Thus a sperm test can act as a biomarker of overall health, by working on sperm health you can also be decreasing your risk of other illness.
What can you do about it? And if we are doing IVF should we treat the male?
Firstly test your partner!
A GP can order a basic sperm test and blood test, which is a starting point to understandign your or your partner’s sperm health. A more comprehensive sperm test with DNA fragmentation can be ordered for those who have;
- Clinically diagnosed varicocele
- Men with unexplained infertility
- Men with repeated IUI failures
- Male partner of women with recurrent pregnancy loss
- Man with IVF and/or ICSI failures
- Male partner if during IVF embryo do not reach day 5, often lost between day 3 to 5
A sperm test will give us a further understanding if this issues relate to count, motility (movement), morphology (shape), viscosity, inflammation, or infection.
Treatment of Male Infertility & Sub-Infertility
Treatments recommended at our clinic include; Acupuncture, tailored supplements, Chinese herbal Medicine, and lifestyle recommendations. We recommend booking an appointment with one of our Chinese Medicine Practitioners who can guide you on specific treatments for your invidual situation.
Book now
About the Author
Dr Lauren Surridge (TCM) is the Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and owner of Balanced Life Health Care. She treats couples tyring to concieve naturally and through IVF.
Book an Appointment with Dr. Lauren visit our online booking page HERE
References
- Pozzi, E., Boeri, L., Capogrosso, P., Candela, L. et al (2021) “Infertility as a proxy of men’s health; Still a long way to go.’ Turkish Journal of Urology. doi:10.5152/tud.2021.20561
- Eisenbery, M.L., Li, S., Behr, B., Cullen, M.R. et al (2014) “Semen qaulity, infertility and mortality in the USA.’ Human Reproductive 29, 7, 1567-1574. doi:10.193/humrep/deuro106
