Fertility Problems – Treatments for Men
For males the first thing a doctor will do is a semen analysis. This will show if you have a sufficient sperm count and if your sperm is healthy. If you as a couple choose to do fertility treatment and choose insemination, then the male’s sperm will be accumulated and then concentrated so that the number of healthy sperm is utilized for insemination to increase the chances of getting pregnant.
If this doesn’t work, then your doctor might possibly recommend trying intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). They will do this in a lab, and he’ll inject a healthy sperm into your partner’s egg. And if fertilization takes place then the new embryo will be inserted back into your partner’s uterus (just like in vitro fertilization (IVF)).
The male may also have had a vasectomy, or even diagnosed with retrograde ejaculation. A vasectomy is where the male has had his vasa deferentia severed and tied. This is where the sperm is carried from the epididymis until ejaculation occurs. Retrograde ejaculation is where the males semen is ejaculated into the bladder, rather than out through the penis. If this is the case, then the doctor can take sperm from the male’s testicles and can be used in the lab to be injected in the female’s egg. The sperm can also be taken from the bladder and cleaned, and also used for insemination.
However, in rare cases, fertility problems are caused by a hormonal imbalance. If this is the case, your doctor will treat you with medicine and possibly hormones. These include GnRH, gonadotropins, and bromocriptine. These fertility treatments will facilitate the male’s hypothalamus and pituitary glands establish regular sperm production.
If you don’t have healthy sperm or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) doesn’t work for your partner, then you’ll have two more options. You’ll have to talk to your significant other and outweigh the risks and benefits. You’ll have to either use another males sperm or choose to adopt.
Think About Fertility Treatments Before You Act
First discuss the issue with your partner and plan ahead. Think about how exhausting emotionally, physically, and financially fertility treatments are. If you do decide to step forward into finding the right treatment, then make sure you know what each treatment does. As with both medicines and assisted reproductive technology (i.e. IVF), it will increase your chances in having twins or even more babies which you wouldn’t have planned for. Also there is no guarantee that your baby will be born healthy.
Before taking hormone shots, seek medical advice from your doctor so you know about complications that can occur such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is where the ovaries are overstimulated in assisted reproductive technology (ART). This is type of fertility treatment that uses more than one egg to increase the chances of an embryo growing and you becoming pregnant. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome can be life threatening, and is associated with vomiting, shortness of breath, and nausea. A life threatening symptom includes fluid buildup around the lungs, heart, and abdomen.
When researching clinics success rates you have to remember that some clinics treat more severe fertility problems than other clinics. Thus, their success rate will be lower; however they might be more educated and have a greater expertise in the area, thus the better choice.
