Fertility issues can impact anyone, no matter how much we may try to ignore them or pretend something is nothing. Although studies have shown that 40% of men have never thought about testing their fertility, 25% of infertility challenges are found to be because of male factors. This could be due to a low sperm count, low sperm motility or poor morphology of the sperm itself.
The main symptoms of male infertility
Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined infertility as a medical condition, there are often no typical or outright symptoms. Nevertheless, there may be some signs to look out for, particularly if there are other medical conditions or hormone fluctuations at play. According to Bupa, some of the physical signs to look out for are:
- Pain and/or swelling in your testicles
- Prominent veins in your testicles
- Problems getting or keeping an erection
- Blood in your semen
- Pain when ejaculating
- Trouble ejaculating during sex
- Cloudy urine after sex
Other symptoms that seem unrelated to fertility may include:
- Mood changes
- Weight gain
- Lower sex drive (libido) than usual
- Less facial hair growth
What to do if you have no symptoms, but you're still struggling to conceive
If you don’t have any of the symptoms, yet you and your partner have been unable to conceive, we would recommend further investigating your sperm quality with an at-home testing kit. We work with some brilliant companies to provide our patients with these sperm testing kits.
Remember: some couples may take more than a year to conceive naturally. After trying to conceive unsuccessfully for over a year, many couples would view fertility treatment, such as IVF, as their only option. However, this is never an easy decision to make - thinking about which hospital or fertility clinic to go with, numerous investigations, possible expenses - all on top of the emotional strain. We’re here to tell you that fertility treatment isn’t always your only option!
There are various other things to try or consider before you go down that route. Here are some tips and tricks that may help you get there.
Think about your diet and lifestyle
Diet and lifestyle play a massive part in fertility, yet these factors are rarely considered when someone is trying to conceive. Everyone’s body works differently, so we would suggest speaking to a nutritional therapist in the first instance to scope out your current diet and lifestyle and then talk through some of the steps you could take to boost your fertility.
Try to avoid heat
Your scrotum houses your testicles and resides outside your body to ensure they are kept below your normal body temperature. If your scrotum is too warm, this may reduce sperm quality. Several things can cause your scrotum to overheat, for example:
- Working in hot conditions
- Driving for extended periods
- Using a laptop that is placed on your lap
- Having hot baths or saunas
- Tight-fitting underwear
- Keeping a mobile phone in your trouser pocket (radiation emits heat)
Review your medication
If you’re taking medication for another health problem, keep in mind that some drugs can affect your fertility. For example:
- Sulfasalazine (taken for rheumatoid arthritis or long-term inflammation) may affect sperm quality
- Antidepressants and some high blood pressure drugs can affect ejaculation
If you’re taking any medication, please make sure you read the medicine information and speak to your GP or pharmacist about possible alternatives, or if you have any concerns.
Assisted Reproduction
If you choose to go ahead with fertility treatment, book in a consultation with a specialised fertility doctor to go through options and next steps. At Fertifa, we partner with the best fertility clinics in the UK to provide treatment and care for all kinds of fertility journeys.
Treatment is possible in almost all cases of male infertility and may include treatment such as an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This is the most common medical intervention in cases where male factor fertility is an issue.
Introduced in the 1990s, it has revolutionised fertility treatment for people assigned male at birth with poor sperm quality or low sperm counts. The technique involves injecting a single sperm cell into an egg. Fertilisation is generally around 90%, so many clinics use ICSI to guarantee fertilisation. Recently, some clinics have further enhanced the ICSI protocol by selecting the best sperm cell for fertilisation.
There's also testicular sperm extraction (TESE). In rare cases of male infertility where normal sperm production or sperm ejaculation may be prevented by an obstruction in the testicular tubes, TESE is a surgical process that can help retrieve sperm from the testes, later used during ICSI.
What are your next steps?
Depending on where you are in your fertility journey, we recommend the following:
- Share and discuss this article with your partner
- If relevant, order an at-home sperm screening kit
- Book an appointment with one of our fertility advisors if you're a patient of Fertifa
Every person or couple has a different experience when it comes to trying for a baby. Some people get pregnant quickly, and for others, it can take much longer. If you’ve been trying for a baby for a year or more and your partner is not pregnant, or if you'd like to get your sperm tested, it’s a good idea to speak to your Fertifa Patient Advisor who can help you with the next steps.
Read our guide on male fertility
In this guide, we'll answer the questions our doctors and nurses get asked the most about male fertility:
- What is male subfertility?
- How can I optimise and improve my fertility as a biological male?
- How do I find a sperm donor?
- How can I become a solo parent as a biological male?
- What are the best fertility tests for biological males?
If you're not part of Fertifa, but you're interested in putting fertility support and benefits in place at work, get in touch here to book a call with our team. We'd love to chat about how we can help 💜
