Male Investigations and Treatments

Male infertility is the primary problem for more than 30% of the couples who receive fertility treatment in the UK.  And another 30% have both male and female factor infertility - so infertility is definitely not just a female issue!

MFS offers a comprehensive range of fertility investigations, preservation services and treatments for men, whether they are single or in a relationship.

In addition to the fertility investigation package which assesses the fertility of both the male and female partners of a couple, this section describes the services at MFS to diagnose and treat male infertility, or to preserve male fertility:

• private sperm analysis
• pre-medical treatment sperm freezing
• elective sperm freezing
• surgical sperm retrieval
• vasectomy reversal back-up plan

The reasons for male infertility are varied:

Sperm production problems

• abnormal low levels of LH, FSH or testosterone hormones, although this may be treatable with hormone medications
• use of recreational and non-prescription drugs, especially cannabis and anabolic steroids, can seriously impair sperm production
• premature andropause, the male equivalent of the female menopause, can occur where high levels of FSH hormone impair sperm production
• sertoli cell only syndrome, where the germ cells that produce the sperm in the testes are absent. No treatment is currently available to overcome this

Obstruction problems

• absence of the vas deferens that delivers the sperm to the urethra
• vasectomy, where the vas deferens have been cut and tied

Mechanical problems

Sperm may not be able to be released normally because of mechanical problems including:

• retrograde ejaculation, where most of the sperm go into the bladder
• spinal injury which prevents ejaculation
• damage caused by illness, such as diabetes or adolescent mumps
• damage caused by injury
• damage caused by surgery, such as hernia surgery
• erection and ejaculation problems