Gender-Inclusive Language Disclaimer: This page uses terms like "male" and "female" to describe reproductive anatomy and biological processes. We recognize that these terms do not fully encompass the diversity of gender identities and experiences. Our intention is to provide inclusive, accurate information that respects all individuals, regardless of their gender identity.
Advanced Care for Male Infertility in Pennsylvania
Discover your path to parenthood with Main Line Fertility, the leading fertility clinic for comprehensive male infertility care in the Greater Philadelphia region. Our team of highly skilled fertility experts combines the most cutting-edge techniques and treatments with a warm and supportive approach to male fertility.
Understanding Male Infertility
Male infertility is defined as the inability to impregnate a female partner, typically due to factors related to the male reproductive system. Although infertility is often mistakenly thought to be a female issue, approximately 50% of all infertility cases are partially attributed to male-factor infertility; in about 20% of infertility cases, male-factor infertility is the sole cause. Male infertility is often caused by problems with sperm production, sperm motility, structural abnormalities of the reproductive system, and other factors.
Causes of Male Infertility
The most common causes of male infertility pertain to problems with sperm. Although semen parameters can vary from person to person, a normal semen sample typically consists of the following characteristics:
- Volume: >1.5 mL
- Concentration: 15 million spermatozoa/mL
- Total Sperm Number: 39 million per ejaculate
- Morphology: 4% normal forms
- Vitality: 58% live sperm in sample
- Progressive motility: 32%
- Total motility: 40%
Sperm issues can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including production issues, genetic factors, hormonal imbalances, testicular infections, varicoceles (i.e., enlarged veins in the testicles), or other medical conditions.
Sperm Quality And Quantity
Individuals who have a low quality and/or quantity of sperm are more likely to experience difficulties when trying to conceive, making natural pregnancy difficult or even impossible. There are several factors that go into the overall measure of sperm quality, including morphology (overall shape of individual sperm cells), motility (adequate forward movement), the volume of semen, and the concentration of sperm in semen. Irregular morphology can contribute to miscarriage, low motility can make achieving pregnancy through intercourse or IUI difficult or even impossible, and low volume and/or concentration can impact how long it takes to get a partner pregnant.
What Impacts Sperm Quality and Quantity?
Like many aspects of reproductive health, the production of sperm is a complex process that requires typical functioning of the testicles (testes) and the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, which are organs in your brain that produce hormones that trigger sperm production. Once sperm are produced in the testicles, delicate tubes transport them until they mix with semen and are ejaculated. Issues with any of these systems can affect sperm production. Also, there can be problems with abnormal sperm shape, movement, or function. Sometimes, providers simply aren’t able to determine the specific cause of sperm issues, such as low volume.
Outside of sperm production, there are several other factors to consider when it comes to male infertility, including lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, obesity, etc.), environmental factors (e.g., exposure to heat, toxins, etc.), certain medications (e.g., chemotherapy medications, steroids, etc.), hormone levels, stress, gender dysphoria, and erectile dysfunction.
Diagnosis of Male Infertility
The main test for male infertility is a semen analysis, which is a test designed to evaluate the characteristics, quality, and quantity of a semen sample.
To prepare for semen analysis, patients must abstain from ejaculation for two to five days to ensure they produce a quality semen sample. The semen sample is provided by the patient, typically through masturbation or by using a special condom during intercourse. In most cases, patients produce the semen sample themselves in a private room at the fertility testing site; if producing the semen sample at home, it’s crucial that the semen be brought to the fertility clinic within one hour of production. The sample is then evaluated by an andrologist and the patient’s physician to assess sperm count, motility, morphology, and other factors.
Treatment for Male Infertility
The great news is that assisted reproductive technology can provide solutions to many, if not all, of the most common challenges with sperm production and quality, including:
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI), which places the sperm closer to the egg and reduces the distance it must travel
- In vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves fertilizing eggs in a laboratory with sperm
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves isolating a single healthy sperm cell into a single egg cell
Get Started
