Diagnosing and overcoming male infertility

ABAYOMI AJAYI FROM PUNCH

Male infertility is when as a man you have a poor chance of making your female partner pregnant. It usually depends on the quality of your sperm cells. Sometimes, your infertility is linked to sexual function, and other times it could be linked to your semen quality. Some of the main parameters examined is the sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology.

These sperm parameters can affect fertility because your chance of getting your partner pregnant decreases with a lower sperm count, motility and morphology. In fact, any sort of problem with the quality of your sperm can also affect your chances of getting your woman pregnant.

Male infertility factor, often due to bad sperm parameters, is one of the common reasons that you have trouble conceiving. But you may also experience other health issues that can affect your fertility. The large occurrence of male factor infertility makes testing fundamental to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and designing an appropriate treatment protocol. The good news is that testing at a qualified laboratory that uses strict semen analysis parameters can provide patients with an accurate picture of the male partner’s fertility status.

If you’re diagnosed with male factor infertility, there are many treatment options. Normally, you must produce sperm that is healthy enough to fertilise the egg. The first step in diagnosing male factor infertility is to assess overall fertility potential of your sperm.

Sperm count can be important if you’re trying to conceive a child. An abnormal sperm count may also indicate an underlying health condition. A normal sperm count ranges from 15 million sperm to more than 200 million sperm per millilitre (mL) of semen. Anything less than 15 million sperm per millilitre, or 39 million sperm per ejaculation, is considered low. A low sperm count is often referred to as oligospermia. A high, or above average, sperm count is over 200 million sperm per millimetre.

You can determine your sperm count through a semen analysis. The number, shape, and mobility of sperm are important for testing for male factor infertility. Your doctor may recommend testing up to two to three samples of sperm at different visits to get an accurate analysis.

If you’re trying to conceive naturally, a healthy sperm count is often necessary. Even though it only takes one sperm and one egg to get pregnant, more healthy sperm will increase your chances of pregnancy each month. Even if you aren’t trying to conceive, your sperm count may be an important measure of overall health. If you’re diagnosed with a low sperm count, your doctor may evaluate your testosterone levels, lifestyle, and overall health.