There’s no need to panic quite yet. Infertility is generally defined as the inability to conceive after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. If you are otherwise healthy it may just be taking a little longer than you originally expected to conceive. If you are experiencing problems with ejaculation or erection, have had undescended testes, varicoceles or damage to the testes you might consider seeing your GP. Also remember it takes two to make a baby, so make sure your partner is checked out too if you suspect there is a problem.

 

A healthy lifestyle will not only promote better sperm quality, but it will also improve your overall well-being. Firstly, quit smoking. Smoking decreases sperm density and motility, and causes an increase in the number of abnormal sperm. Second, reduce your alcohol intake, as this also has detrimental effects on sperm. Excessive exercise can also reduce sperm quality, but moderate exercise can promote overall health and improve sperm quality. Avoid high temperatures such as hot tubs, saunas etc., and try not to carry your mobile phone in your pocket – you’re frying your sperm! The testes are outside the body to reduce their temperature, so it’s not a good idea to go heating them up.

Masturbation, like normal intercourse, results in an orgasm and ejaculation. Many men worry about depleting their sperm reserve, but refraining from ejaculation for long periods of time can in fact reduce sperm quality. When fertility is a concern, masturbation should not be practiced around the time of the wife's fertile period – you should be having intercourse in order to maximize the chances of conceiving. However, masturbation will not have a long-term injurious effect on the testes.

Infertility tests for men generally involve an examination of the genitalia to check for undescended testes or varicoceles, and semen analysis.

Sperm retrieval techniques have been developed to be minimally invasive and provide an additional treatment for cases of azoospermia due to blockage or absence of the vas deferens, or in this case failure to reverse a vasectomy. The following website provides further, in depth information about these techniques, and provides a link to a video of a procedure!

 

https://www.malefertility.md/sperm-retrieval.html