Male Factor Infertility Treatment at Washington Fertility Center

Did you know that for couples who experience difficultly conceiving, the “infertility factor” is equally split between male patients, female patients and an unexplained infertility diagnosis?

Unlike female infertility, which is typically assumed by default in cases of delayed or unachievable natural conception, male infertility tends to remain under the radar. Even today, couples will visit the female partner’s OB/GYN for a fertility evaluation and then move to a fertility specialist before considering testing the male partner’s fertility. This is an unfortunate long-held assumption, and it’s easy to understand why so many modern couples still address a possible female infertility factor head-on long before the male partner is ever considered.

Male infertility causes
Male infertility diagnoses and treatment are wide-ranging, just as they are for female infertility. Causes for male factor infertility can include poor sperm quality or motility, low sperm count, groin injury, previous cancer treatment, no sperm count and other male reproductive conditions. Fortunately, even when these issues can seem dire, there are many treatment options available for men and their partners who wish to conceive.

Male infertility testing
At Washington Fertility Center, we offer a complete semen analysis as an initial first step in diagnosing a fertility problem. The semen analysis will offer information on the male patient’s sperm quality, quantity and motility. All three factors are important in relation to a man’s ability to take part in conception. Some men may find they have low numbers across all three factors, whereas others might have lower numbers across one or two.

Male infertility treatment
Treatment for male infertility is dependent on your diagnosis. In some cases, fertility treatment services like intrauterine insemination (IUI), also known as artificial insemination (AI), may be used to deposit washed sperm into the female patient’s cervix. In other cases, in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be called for, specifically in cases where female factor infertility is also present or IUI treatments have previously failed. Certain male infertility treatments can require a surgical procedure to recover heathy, usable sperm from the male patient. A sperm donor can be used in more severe cases of male infertility where the patient’s sperm cannot be used or other treatments are not successful.

If you are interested in learning more about male factor infertility and treatment at Washington Fertility Center, please contact our office today.