About 40% of fertility issues are said to be due to Male Factor problems (40% female issues and 20% a combination of both).  It is also thought that up to 80% of early miscarriages could be caused by faults in the sperm.  Unfortunately it seems that men often get left by the wayside once they've produced an adequate semen sample and all the focus moves to the woman.  At the Natural Fertility Centre we regularly see couples who have been told they have 'unexplained infertility' when actually there is a male factor issue.

It's very difficult for many men to acknowledge and address male factor issues.  It is important to understand there is no 'blame' nor 'fault' attached to something not being right.  Often I can help put things right with an improved nutritional and fluid intake (not beer!) and helpful tips on lowering testicular temperature and as long as you can keep talking as a couple then things are looking up. 

Some men have varioceles (blockages from varicosed veins in the testicles) from accidents or operations.  These can often be treated surgically even though it is more common to be told that you need IVF.  I can point you in the right direction for specialist urologists who can help you further with this.

DNA fragmentation has been a hot topic - this is something that increases naturally with age as well as, it is thought, stress.  The DNA is found in the head of the sperm and is less strongly bound together as we age which can lead to lower fertilisation and higher miscarriage rates..  Research into DNA Fragmentation in sperm is still in it's infancy but some clinics do offer this test.  The commonly used Semen Analysis only looks at the motility (the movement), morphology (shape) and concentration (quantity) of the sperm but cannot tell it's quality, except by deduction (i.e. consultants draw the conclusion that if the sperm looks and swims ok then it must be of good enough quality).  Other issues such as 'debris', 'agglutination' and higher than normal round blood cells (all possible indicators of infection) are often overlooked whereas, in the US for example, these would be treated with antibiotics just in case it was effecting the sperm's ability to reach and fertilise and egg.