If you do find that you have problems with your fertility, you’re not alone. One in six couples in the United States has fertility issues and many of them will end up seeking treatment. While this can be a challenging journey for you and your partner, many treatment options result in success and can help you conceive. There are several treatments to consider for your infertility.
Male Infertility Treatments
Consider Your Sex Practices
Sexual intercourse should ideally occur once every 48 hours during ovulation. You and your partner can determine when ovulation occurs by tracking her cycle or using an ovulation prediction kit. Ovulation usually occurs for about five days every month, so it’s important to have intercourse during this small window of time. If you use lubricants, they could be hindering your sperm’s passage to your partner’s womb. Many popular lubricants create poor environments for sperm to travel in, so consider using alternative lubricants and discuss with your doctor.
Hormone Replacement
While you’re being evaluated for infertility, your doctor will most likely want to run some blood tests to ensure that you’re not experiencing any hormone abnormalities that may be affecting your sperm productivity. If you are found to be experiencing problems with your hormones, hormone replacement therapy may be an option you’ll consider with your doctor. Hormone replacement therapy could involve an injection or different medications, depending upon what your unique hormone imbalance is, and could help increase your sperm production.
Surgery/Microreconstruction
If you have a varicocele (an abnormal dilation of veins which drain the testicles), surgery may be needed to correct this. If you have had a vasectomy in the past and now want to reverse it in order to conceive, surgery will be required for this too. Surgery could also help free other blocks that could be hindering sperm’s passage out of your body. This could be something that was caused by an infection, a past surgery or vasectomy, or just something you may have been born with. If you and your doctor decide that surgery isn’t the best option for you, consider Assisted Reproductive Technology.
Assisted Reproductive Technology
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) involves using advanced techniques to help you and your partner conceive. If surgery, hormone replacement, or other options have been considered or tried without success, ART may be the route for you. Procedures with ART include Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), where your sperm are manually extracted and placed into your partner’s uterus during ovulation; In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), where your sperm and your partner’s eggs are placed in a petri dish and then transferred back into your partner; or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a specialized procedure that involves injecting a single sperm into a single egg cell, and then transferring it back into your partner.
Millions suffer from infertility, and the sooner you take control of your health and your options for infertility treatment, the sooner you’ll be along the road to conception. Discuss these treatment options with your doctor after your fertility evaluation to determine which options will work best for you and your partner.