MALE FACTOR

There are many issues associated with infertility, and male factor is one of those multi-faceted issues.  Here are some definitions:

Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.) and/or Low Libido - E.D. may be defined as the inability to obtain and/or maintain an erection for a long enough period of time to ejaculate inside the vagina.  This is a sensitive topic, and not often discussed, but pertinent for couples trying to conceive naturally.  Although is it NOT related to results of a semen analysis, it is one of the many painful issues couples may face when trying to start a family.  It can have many causes, ranging from low testosterone to drug/surgery side effects.  Often times, in younger men (under age 60), low testosterone is due to diets low in fat, and high in carbohydrates and soy products.  If you have not found an obvious cause, you may need a saliva test to determine your testosterone level, as well as your cortisol levels (adrenal health).  Exhausted adrenal glands affect all bodily functions, and can be revived with dietary changes and specialized nutritional supplements.  Drug treatment may not be necessary to increase testosterone naturally and treat this common condition.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) - performed in a fertility clinic; individual sperm is hand-picked by the embryologist, and and is injected directly into the egg, after egg retrieval procedure

Sperm count – calculated by multiplying semen volume and concentration

Aspermia – lack of semen

Azoospermia – absence of sperm cells in semen; either obstructive or non-obstructive

Oligospermia -   sperm density < 20 million/ml (severe if < 5 million/ml); associated with varicocele, hypogonadism, or microdeletions of Y chromosome; many have testosterone/estradiol ratio of < 10, so they can be treated with aromatase inhibitor (testolactone, anatrozole) to improve ratio and semen quality

Athenospermia /asthenozoospermia – reduced motility; suggests testicular dysfunction; associated with antisperm antibodies (aggregation), genital tract infections (leukocytes in semen), partial obstruction of ejaculatory ducts or site of vasectomy reversal (reanastomosis), varicoceles, and prolonged abstinence intervals; if no motile sperm, live non-motile sperm can be used for ICSI; immotile cilia syndrome is Kartagener Syndrome with diagnosis made by looking via electron microscopy

Teratospermia – abnormal morphology; reflects quality of spermatogenesis; categorized by location (head, neck, or tail); associated with varicocele and both primary and secondary testicular failure; strict sperm morphology is best predictor of sperm function (ability to fertilize mature oocyte); if 0-4% normal sperm by strict criteria, do ICSI