Male Infertility Testing Can Often Find the Cause of Infertility
Targeted diagnostic and therapeutic services in male infertility treatment make it possible for men to become fathers. The misconception that infertility is a woman’s issue has provided an opportunity for our Round Rock male infertility physicians to raise awareness and provide male infertility testing for many couples struggling to conceive.
Male infertility is an underlying cause in 50 percent of cases of couples’ inability to become pregnant. Texas Fertility Center specializes in treating male infertility through advanced reproductive technologies and individualized recommendations for optimizing couples’ chance to conceive.
First, our fertility specialists will obtain vital information for diagnosing the cause of male infertility and generating an effective and personalized treatment plan. The most helpful test in our toolbox is semen analysis because it provides detailed reports from our top-tier IVF laboratories.
What does semen analysis look for?
The sperm count present in semen, and the volume of seminal fluid, provide valuable clues as to what could be causing male infertility. Our semen analysis covers a full array of diagnostic criteria.
- Sperm count
- Sperm morphology
- Sperm motility
- Semen volume
- Semen liquefaction
In addition to semen analysis, male infertility testing will involve a preliminary health history followed by blood testing for hormonal factors.
If we determine that male infertility factors could interfere with conception, your reproductive endocrinologist will help develop a plan for treatment, which may include a consultation with a urologist. Texas Fertility Center works with reputable urologists who complement our fertility services with procedures to procure sperm when none are present in the ejaculate, or to correct sperm delivery problems.
Common causes of male infertility
Beyond the obvious ejaculatory issues and previous injuries or surgeries involving the testicles, men may be unaware of reproductive hurdles that will make it difficult or impossible for conception to occur.
A man’s ability to produce healthy sperm that is motile enough and able to effectively fertilize an egg can be negatively affected by environmental, physical and hormonal factors. Men may be surprised to learn that Low T treatments cause male infertility and are being studied as a form of male birth control.
Amazingly, a “low” sperm count is considered to be less than 15 million sperm per milliliter of seminal fluid. Men who have certain genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, or anatomical hurdles to overcome, including a varicocele or an undescended testicle, will need to work with a male infertility specialist to take corrective action.
The vas deferens serve as an intricate “plumbing system” inside the testicles to transport sperm from the epididymis, where it matures, toward the urethra. Here, the vas deferens collect fluids from the ejaculatory ducts, seminal vesicles and prostate glands to enrich sperm.
A urologist performs delicate microsurgeries to harvest sperm, reconnect tubes separated for vasectomies and open blocked tubes:
- MESA, microepididymal sperm aspiration
- TESA, testicular sperm aspiration
- PESA, percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration
When semen antibodies mistakenly attack a man’s own sperm, or a woman has an allergic reaction to a man’s sperm, our fertility specialist may recommend medications or a minimally invasive male infertility treatment to correct immunologic infertility.
Contact us for male infertility testing
Male infertility need not stand between you and fatherhood. Advances in reproductive medicine have enabled men to become fathers even when faced with severe deficiencies. Treatments such as IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI, help men conceive even with a very low sperm count.
Our Round Rock male infertility physicians treat even the most complex causes of infertility. Our goal is to provide men and women with every conceivable option for starting a family. Contact us to learn more about semen analysis and male infertility testing.