Fertility in men

The quality and quantity of sperm both have a major impact on fertility. Some men produce low numbers of sperm (oligozoospermia) which reduces the chances of a sperm reaching the egg.

Fertility problems may also be caused by sperm not being able to swim properly, or by the sperm being abnormally shaped.

All men seeking fertility treatment will be asked to attend the clinic for a semen analysis, which will check for all these factors.

Sperm problems may be the cause of infertility in as many as 50% of couples suffering with infertility. If any problems with sperm are identified, we may be able to provide assisted conception treatment using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

Some men produce semen that does not contain any sperm. This is called azoospermia. Half of azoospermic men have normal sperm production from the testes, but there is a blockage which prevents sperm from entering the semen.

This may be due to:

• Failure of the sperm transport tubes to develop
• A blockage of the sperm transport tubes
• A previous vasectomy operation

All of these can potentially be treated using IVF with ICSI after retrieving sperm using a minor operation that we can carry out in the Fertility Centre.

We are expanding our service to offer a specialist male fertility clinic with a multidisciplinary team including andrology and urology expertise.