Home / Male infertility: causes and treatment

Male infertility can be the result of a variety of internal and external factors that reduce the quantity and quality of sperm. However, in most cases, male fertility issues can be successfully treated. The Northway Clinic offers a high level of infertility diagnosis and treatment thus helping a man become a father.

Male infertility: what can cause this, and what treatment options are available?

In about 30% of cases when a couple fails to have a baby, it is caused by male infertility, which is associated with changes in the quantity and quality of spermatozoids, such as decreased sperm mobility, concentration level or fertilization potential. However, the good news is that in most cases proper treatment helps to improve sperm quality and let become a happy dad.

What are the causes of male infertility?

Male infertility can be a consequence of testicular developmental abnormality such as cryptorchidism or obscure testis. In cryptorchidism, the testicle does not move into the scrotum, but remains in the abdominal cavity or in the inguinal canal, thus interfering with the development of blood flow to the testicle and the process of spermatozoid formation.

Male infertility can also be associated with impaired sperm production, obstructive azoospermia (when the ejaculate has no spermatozoids and the fallopian tubes are blocked or are not developed), previous infectious diseases, testicular cancer, hormonal or genetic disorders, and many other causes.

Male fertility can also be negatively affected by external conditions, such as regular emotional, psychological stress, stress at work, malnutrition, obesity, environmental pollution, smoking, frequent alcohol use, etc.

Treatment of male infertility

Depending on the quality of the sperm, male infertility can be treated using various methods

  • In case of insufficient sperm quality, the most used method is such in vitro fertilization (IVF) as intrauterine insemination (IUI) which is a painless and non-invasive procedure during which the previously processed sperm of a male (female’s partner or a donor) is injected into the uterine cavity through a thin catheter (the female must be fertile). IUD is performed during ovulation, on about the 13-15 day of the cycle. Before the procedure, the concentration, structure, and mobility of the male spermatozoids are carefully analysed, and the functionality of the sperm is checked. The obtained sperm sample is purified, and the highest quality or “most capable” spermatozoids are selected in the laboratory. It is important for a male to abstain from sexual intercourse for three to five days before the procedure, during which alcohol may not be consumed.
  • In the case of low sperm quality, in vitro fertilization (IVF) or medical fertilization is one of the solutions, in which several eggs are obtained from a female’s body, which are then connected to a male’s spermatozoids in a suitable environment, and natural conception takes place. The fertilized embryos are then injected into the uterine cavity.
  • If sperm quality is very low, use the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) method of fertilization by injecting the sperm directly into the cytoplasm of the egg is used.
  • If there are no spermatozoids in the sperm, the testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) method – needle puncture or MicroTESE surgery is used. In the case of TESA puncture, spermatozoids are extracted from testis, and in the case of PESA – from epididymis. Both procedures are very simple and short and are performed under local or general anaesthesia, whereas MicroTESE surgery is a much more complex procedure. The most effective method is determined by your doctor. Male infertility is also treated with a special approach – MicroTESE surgery or microsurgical testicular biopsy, as well as microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy.