Are you struggling with conceiving naturally for years now? We understand situations like this can be very difficult. Infertility issues have been rising all over the world due to various reasons. Often we talk about female infertility, but male infertility is more common than you realize. Although, becoming a single dad or parent may feel like an impossible task but there are multiple options that you can consider to fulfill your dreams. To solve your concerns, this blog covers everything about male infertility and surrogacy
The couples who fail to become pregnant naturally are because 40% of infertility issues are observed in males and females. Whereas, 20% of cases may occur when both partners are infertile and cannot conceive successfully. Though infertility in men can seem difficult and daunting there are several treatments like surrogacy that can assist you to embark on the journey of parenthood. Often infertile men struggle to determine the cause of their condition. Don’t worry, we have got you covered! From causes, symptoms, treatments, and surrogacy we break down every factor for your better understanding.
If you have already gone through a few treatments and still haven’t achieved your goal, you can directly talk with our expert and understand the process of surrogacy and how you can conceive a child even with infertility issues.
Let us walk you through the different aspects of male infertility and surrogacy for your comprehension.
- What is male infertility?
- Statistics of infertile men
- Symptoms of male infertility
- What are the male factors that affect fertility?
- What is male infertility treatment?
- Male infertility and surrogacy
- Understanding surrogacy’s basics
- Grow your family through surrogacy
- Using sperm donors with a surrogacy medical process Begin your family swiftly!
What is male infertility?
Infertility defines that when a couple cannot conceive naturally after regular unprotected intercourse. While few couples cannot conceive even after 2 years of unprotected intercourse. Either of the partners may have infertility issues, but male infertility may happen due to various medical and or environmental factors.
Usually, when an intended father is struggling with infertility issues he may have the following conditions:
- He will struggle with producing healthy sperm
- He might have a lower sperm count which cannot help eggs to fertilize
- He may struggle to have an erection or ejaculation which restricts the sperm to reach the eggs of the female partner.
- And many more conditions.
Statistics with infertile man
Infertility isn’t an issue of women alone but men do struggle with infertility equally. While the causes of male infertility vary from different male factors, we will be discussing them later in the blog. But to showcase that infertility isn’t faced by women only, let us walk you through the statistics of male infertility in the USA.
- Almost 10% of males who have been trying to conceive a child with their partner struggle with infertility issues.
- Couples face difficulty in conceiving a child naturally when the male partners are above 40 years old.
- In a 2019 report, it was observed that about 9% of men aged between 15 to 44 years faced infertility issues, and male infertility is as common as female infertility in the United States.
- 40% of couples who fail to become pregnant, male partners are the sole or contributing cause of infertility issues.
- Usually sperm quality isn’t a problem until a man is 60 years old, but due to infertility issues, the sperm quality of a male partner can be affected.
- After a year of unprotected intercourse 10-15% of couples cannot conceive, while after attempting to conceive for 2 years 10% of couples fail to achieve successful pregnancy due to infertility issues.
Although the statistics speak about the data in the United States, however male infertility issues have been rising all over the world. But what are the male factors that affect fertility? There are a few intricate conditions affecting the conceiving journey of a couple including:
Varicocele
- 25-35% of men with primary infertility problems have varicocele.
- And 50-80% of men with secondary infertility issues have varicocele.
Lack of sperm
- Usually, 1% of men struggle with azoospermia or the absence of sperm.
- Whereas, 10-15% of infertile men undergo the condition – of lack of sperm.
Symptoms of male infertility
The main symptom of male infertility is the inability to conceive a child naturally even after attempting for a longer period. That’s when you need to be conscious and visit a doctor to get yourself checked.
While in some cases, the male partner may observe certain conditions like inherited disorders, dilated veins, hormonal imbalance across the testicle, or you may have a condition that blocks the passage of sperm. To make it simpler, here are a few common symptoms that infertile men usually go through.
- Pain, swelling, or lumps near the area of testicles.
- Inability to smell.
- Problems with sexual activity like difficulty in ejaculation, small fluids of ejaculation, reduced or no sexual desire, or difficulty in maintaining an erection.
- Abnormal breast growth in men.
- Recurrent respiratory infection.
- Lower sperm count ( fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen or total sperm count of less than 39 million per ejaculation).
- Reduced body or facial hair, and other symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
What are the male factors that affect fertility?
Male infertility is a health issue that affects the female partner to become pregnant naturally even after several attempts. The causes of male fertility can vary from health issues to other external factors. When your semen analyses are unusual, your fertility doctor may help you find the source of your condition.
Medical causes of infertility
Varicocele
Varicocele conditions include men having veins near the testicle area swollen and dilated. This condition is seen to be common, every 1 in 7 men suffers from varicocele. Men who are diagnosed with varicocele have around a 50% chance of having a lower sperm count. The treatment for this condition is done by performing minor surgery to solve the issue.
Blockage of sperm flow
Sperm is produced in the testicles and moves into the epididymis, a small duct behind the testicle area, a place where sperm becomes mature. After a few days, the sperm swim up from the epididymis to a tube called the vas deferens towards the ejaculation duct.
Well, there are plenty of conditions that block the entire process or path from the testicle to the ejaculatory duct. The blockage can cause an extremely lower sperm count or can lead to a condition named azoospermia, where no sperm is present in ejaculation. In some cases, the blockage can be cured through treatment and if the treatment doesn’t work then it is recommended to the couple consider IVF or the process for surrogacy.
Medication and treatment side effects
Few medications and treatments can affect the health of sperm or interfere with sperm production. Radiation for cancer treatment can diminish testicular function. Whereas, chemotherapy drugs or medicines will permanently interfere with sperm production.
While few drugs used for testosterone replacement therapy, can have a temporary effect on the sperm’s health if the medication is stopped it can be reversed.
Infection
Another condition is an infection in the epididymis or testicles, sexually transmitted infections can have major consequences on the man’s fertility condition. The treatment for the infection can begin by finding various white blood cells
Tumors
As we discussed, nonmalignant tumors and cancer can interfere with the male reproductive organs. In a few cases, males can face infertility issues due to surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
Environmental causes of male infertility
Apart from medical reasons, are there any other reasons one can face infertility? If yes then what are the male factors that affect fertility? The reason for infertility condition in men can be due to environmental factors as well. Elements like heat, toxins, and chemicals can impact the health of sperm or reduce sperm production. A few common environmental factors are listed below:
Radiation
Radiation exposure can sometimes lead to a reduction in sperm production. In a few cases, this can be a temporary issue and can come back to normal but a few men may have a reduction in production permanently.
Exposure to heavy metals
Heavy metals like lead can cause infertility in men.
Overheating testicles
High temperature and heat can destroy sperm production and or sperm functionality.
Industrial chemicals
Exposure to chemicals over a certain amount of time can lead to lower sperm count.
What are the male factors that affect fertility – uncommon causes
Additionally, there are a few problems that men face in making healthy sperm for the conceiving process. Apart from medical and environmental problems, an intended couple cannot conceive naturally because men may have conditions like abnormally shaped sperm, few sperm may be difficult or unable to swim, and in a few cases, sperm can be immature. Furthermore, not having enough count of sperm, not being able to produce sperm at all can be the reason for infertility condition in men.
The problems we discussed above can occur due to several conditions:
- Immune issues where you create antibodies against your sperm.
- Genetic diseases in men like hemochromatosis or cystic fibrosis
- Pituitary gland or hormone issues.
- And more problems.
What is male infertility treatment?
As we discussed, there are various causes and conditions of infertility that occur in men. But, what is male infertility treatment exactly? Few men will observe a positive impact of supplement medicines and lifestyle change. While few will need surgery to cure varicocele, a few hormonal treatments can work as well. It all comes down to what exactly is your condition. Additionally, in a few cases only assisted reproductive technologies (ART) can work to assist couples with infertility to conceive a healthy child.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
Having an infertility issue can be very disturbing and stressful, often when males determine their condition, due to lack of awareness they have one constant question in their mind – what is male infertility treatment? Well, IUI can be helpful when your male partner is infertile, this process can finally help you conceive and begin a family. IUI for male infertility can be useful and has a simple process that includes placing sperm directly into the uterus. Bypassing the vagina and cervix, IUI helps the sperm to reach directly to the uterus and fertilize eggs.
For IUI, the intended father will have to provide a semen sample by ejaculating in a container. It is advised to the intended father to not ejaculate before 3-5 days of the process to increase the sperm counts. Furthermore, the fertility teams prepare the sperm by separating fluids and active sperm to make the conceiving process successful.
IUI can be helpful to treat infertility in men as it includes preparing washed and prepared sperm and inserting it into the intended mother’s uterus directly by using a container called a catheter. Usually, a doctor will perform the process when the ovulation of your female partner is at its peak.
In-vitro Fertilization (IVF)
IVF process is a more advanced option than IUI and includes several medical steps. To begin the process, the female partner or intended mother needs to undergo medication to stimulate her eggs, and an IVF specialist would retrieve her eggs in an incubator. On the other hand, the semen sample is collected from the male partner or intended father and both the gamete materials are mixed to form embryos. Once embryos are ready then it is further transferred into the intended mother’s uterus. After a few days, when she confirms pregnancy she can carry forward the pregnancy journey.
Well, motile sperm with a lower sperm count below 10 per ML is less likely to meet fertilized eggs through intercourse or IUI. Instead, IVF permits doctors to combine each egg with highly motile and qualitative sperm to create healthy embryos.
Male infertility and surrogacy
Going through infertility issues can be a very difficult experience, and when several treatments don’t give positive conceiving results becoming parents can feel like an unachievable dream. But you are not alone, and even if IVF hasn’t worked for you don’t worry! Surrogacy can be your ideal solution. Male infertility and surrogacy go hand in hand.
Though moving from infertility treatments to surrogacy can feel like quite a big decision, we understand your situation. Before you commit to the process for surrogacy it is important for you to understand how the surrogacy journey occurs, surrogacy basics, and a few must-have factors that determine a successful surrogacy journey.
What is gestational surrogacy?
A gestational surrogacy is an arrangement supported by a legal contract through which a woman or surrogate mother agrees to carry and deliver a child for someone else i.e intended parents. Usually, the main cause for choosing the process for surrogacy is infertility when no other treatment works for the intended parents. Also, the process for surrogacy assures intended parents to obtain legal parental rights or child’s custody right after their baby is born.
The medical process for surrogacy involves the procedure of IVF whereby intended parents can have a biological link with their infant. Furthermore, the surrogate will require compensation from the intended parents in exchange for her sacrifice, pain, and efforts to carry the baby.
Understanding Surrogacy basics
Surrogacy requires several services to make a collaborative effort to bring a child.
There are a few key factors that you must be aware of:
- A surrogacy agency or professional will guide you through the process, connect you with a fertility clinic, donors, and surrogate, and acts as a bridge to complete communication between all parties.
- The surrogacy journey requires a surrogacy contract wherein the intended parents and surrogate need to agree on several factors and sign agreements to protect the rights of both parties.
- The fertility clinic will create an embryo through the IVF process which will be transferred into the surrogate’s womb.
Grow your family through surrogacy
Male infertility and surrogacy can feel like improbable and difficult terms but that doesn’t mean that you remain a childless couple for a lifetime. Surrogacy is known for assisting infertile women and men to conceive healthy babies. This process involves high success rates and multiple program offerings at the intended parent’s comfort zone. A surrogacy agency like Global Star Surrogacy can help you fulfill your dream.
You can begin your male infertility and surrogacy journey via agency through either of the options:
- Through fertility procedures, treatment using IVF and medicine
- Or by using a sperm donor
Using sperm donors with a surrogacy medical process
Male infertility can cause you failure pregnancies either naturally or through fertility treatments. Though, a fertility clinic will conduct a screening test to determine the quality of gamete materials. And if your sperm isn’t good enough to create embryos, don’t worry you still can proceed with the surrogacy medical process by using a sperm donor.
It might sound strange to you, but it’s quite common in the surrogacy medical process to use donors. And depending on the condition of male infertility, if it interferes with the health or production of sperm can choosing an ideal sperm donor will be the best option for you.
Global Star Surrogacy helps intended parents to shortlist and connect with the best and most qualified sperm donors for the infertility and surrogacy journey. You can choose surrogacy with a sperm donor even if:
- Your partner chooses to use her eggs.
- If you are a gay couple
- If you are a single intended father.
Begin your family swiftly!
Even if different treatments haven’t worked for you don’t worry, male infertility and surrogacy can be an ideal solution to begin your family!
We have seen various stories of happy families with the case of infertility and surrogacy. Whether you are a couple or hopeful single, surrogacy can assist to embark on the journey of parenthood. If you have any doubts or queries about surrogacy you can visit our website or book our free consultation call.
Recent Comments