What Treatment Options Exist for Male Sub-fertility?

What Treatment Options Exist for Male Sub-fertility?

It is common for couples to initially focus on lifestyle changes to improve sperm quality. However, if semen quality remains suboptimal, or if a specific issue is diagnosed regarding male sub-fertility, there are still a wide range of effective clinical treatment options available.

Understanding these options is a key part of the male fertility journey. According to major health bodies like the NHS and the HFEA, treatments generally fall into three main categories:

1. Medicinal Treatments

2. Surgical Treatments

3. Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

1. Medicinal Treatments for Male Infertility

For specific hormonal issues, medication can often stimulate or support sperm production.

• Gonadotropin Therapy: This is a common medicinal treatment offered to men with identified hormonal imbalances. Gonadotropins are hormones that stimulate the testes to produce testosterone and, crucially, stimulate sperm production.

• Diagnosis: To determine if this treatment is suitable, your doctor will first measure your Gonadotropism hormone levels via a simple blood test. If levels are low, therapy may be used to boost the supply of healthy sperm.

2. Surgical Treatments for Male Sub-fertility

Surgical interventions focus on correcting blockages or retrieving sperm directly for use in assisted conception.

Correcting Blockages (Sperm Transport Issues)

• Treatment: Blockages can sometimes occur in the epididymis

(the small tube within the testicles that stores and transports sperm). Surgery can be performed to open these blockages and restore the natural pathway for ejaculation.

• Procedure: These minor procedures are typically performed under a local anaesthetic and usually take a few hours.

Surgical Sperm Retrieval

• Purpose: Sperm retrieval is necessary when sperm is being produced but cannot naturally leave the body. This is often the case if:

  • There is an irreparable blockage.

  • The man was born without the vas deferens (the tube that drains sperm from the testicles).

  • There has been a vasectomy or an unsuccessful vasectomy reversal.

• Procedure & Outcome: The sperm is surgically retrieved from the testicle tissue. The quality of the retrieved male gametes is assessed on the day, and they are usually frozen for future use in IVF or ICSI.

3. Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

Assisted Reproductive Therapy (ART) is an umbrella term for fertility treatments where eggs and sperm are handled outside the body to increase the chance of conception, with guidelines provided by bodies like NICE and the British Fertility Society.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

• Process: Also known as artificial insemination, IUI is a less invasive option often recommended when sperm count is slightly low or for unexplained infertility. Sperm is washed and concentrated, and then inserted directly into the woman's womb via a thin, flexible plastic tube during her fertile window.

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

• Process: IVF is the controlled process of fertilisation outside the body. Eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and combined with sperm in a laboratory setting. A successfully fertilised egg (embryo) is then transferred back into the womb.

• ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): A specialised form of IVF often used for severe male factor infertility. Instead of simply mixing sperm with the egg, a single, healthy sperm is selected and directly injected into the egg.

Sperm Donation

• Process: Sperm donation involves using sperm from a donor to fertilise the egg, usually via IUI or IVF. This option is considered when male factor issues are severe or untreatable.

Your Next Step: Knowledge is Treatment

Before exploring these clinical options, your healthcare provider needs clear data. This is where a reliable semen analysis is critical.

If you are just beginning to investigate male subfertility, understanding your sperm count, motility, and morphology is the essential starting point that determines which treatment path, if any, is right for you.

Order your Malebox Kit today to get the data that informs your next steps.

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Sources and Further Reading

• NHS: General information on Infertility

  • https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/infertility/

• NICE: Clinical Guidelines on Fertility Assessment and Treatment

  • https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg156

• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA): Understanding Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)

  • https://www.hfea.gov.uk/

• British Fertility Society (BFS): Information on IVF and ICSI Procedures

  • https://www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk/