Male infertility
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Last reviewed: May 2018
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Male infertility - myDr.com.au
Find out more about the causes of male infertility.
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Male Infertility: A guide for men and their partners | Andrology Australia
The small but comprehensive booklet provides evidence-based information on the causes and possible treatment for male infertility.
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Personal story: male infertility
This video details a man's personal story of male infertility and how it took him a while to become relaxed about his low spearm count.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
Male Infertility - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment | Andrology Australia
Infertility is a widespread problem. For about one in five infertile couples the problem lies solely in the male partner (male infertility).
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Male fertility problems | Andrology Australia
Low sperm count? What causes male infertility? What are your options? Free info: www.andrologyaustralia.org
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Sperm Health | myVMC
Some known causes of male infertility include low sperm count or non-functioning sperm. Sperm health can be affected by several factors.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Male infertility: genetic causes | Andrology Australia
The most common genetic causes of male infertility are chromosomal conditions that affect sperm production.
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Infertility
Whether you are trying to fall pregnant for the first time, or are already parents who would like more children, infertility can be a stressful and frustrating experience for everyone involved.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
Effect of Environmental Factors on Sperm Health | myVMC
Environmental factors which have evidence of an association with male infertility, include heat, radiation, chemicals and trauma.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Fertility treatments
Finding out that you or your partner are unable to fall pregnant can be upsetting and difficult to deal with. There are a number of fertility treatments that are available to both of you.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
Top results
Male Hypogonadism/Androgen Deficiency Testosterone | Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority - ASADA
Male Hypogonadism is a condition that results from failure of the testes to produce physiological levels of testosterone (androgen deficiency) and in some instances a normal number of spermatozoa (infertility). A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) will only be approved for androgen deficiency that has an organic aetiology and not for a functional disorder. A TUE will not be approved if the cause of the androgen deficiency has been previous androgen use for body image improvement or performance enhancement.
Read more on Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) website
Infertility: Causes & management | Jean Hailes
Associate Professor Beverley Vollenhoven delves into the prevalence, causes, risk factors and effective treatment options for infertility.
Read more on Jean Hailes for Women's Health website
Removal of endometrial polyps prior to infertility treatment | Cochrane
Cochrane authors investigated whether the removal of endometrial polyps in women presenting with subfertility was safe and whether it improved the chance of pregnancy.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Drug treatments for pain relief in hysterosalpingography | Cochrane
Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a test used in investigating infertility in women. HSG involves a dye being introduced into the uterus and the connecting tubes, which enables them to be visualised using an x-ray, allowing the clinician to assess how open the connecting tubes are. This can be a painful procedure. There is disagreement regarding the best form of pain relief during the procedure.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Preconception lifestyle advice for people with subfertility | Cochrane
There is no evidence from randomised controlled trials regarding the effects of preconception advice on the chances of a live birth in subfertile people. Infertility is a prevalent problem and has significant consequences for individuals, families and the wider community. People's chance of having a healthy, live birth may be impacted upon by factors such as weight, diet, smoking, other substance abuse, environmental pollutants, infections, medical conditions, medications and family medical history. However, there is no current guideline about what preconception advice should be offered to people presenting for infertility treatment. It is important to determine what preconception advice should be given about these types of factors to people presenting for fertility treatment in order to help them to make positive changes and hopefully improve their chances of conception and having a healthy baby. This review found no evidence from controlled clinical trials about the effect of preconception advice on the chance of a live birth in subfertile people.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Oral versus injectable ovulation induction agents for unexplained subfertility | Cochrane
For many couples who cannot become pregnant, no reason is apparent after investigation (unexplained infertility). One treatment option for these couples is for the woman to be given medications to increase the number of eggs she produces each cycle. This treatment is also sometimes combined with a technique of purifying the partner's sperm and injecting it through the woman's cervix at her fertile time. This review of trials looked at which type of these medications, oral-form or injection-form, were the best in producing the most successful outcome. The review found no significant benefit of using one type of medication (oral or injectable) over the other, although there were insufficient data from trials. More research is needed to examine this question.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Surgery or embolization for varicoceles in subfertile men | Cochrane
Varicocele is a dilatation (enlargement) of the veins along the spermatic cord (the cord suspending the testis) in the scrotum. Dilatation occurs when valves within the veins along the spermatic cord fail and allow retrograde blood flow, causing a backup of blood. The mechanisms by which varicocele might affect fertility have not yet been explained, and neither have the mechanisms by which surgical treatment of the varicocele might restore fertility. This review analysed 10 studies (894 participants) and found evidence (combined odds ratio was 1.47 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.05) to suggest an increase in pregnancy rates after varicocele treatment compared to no treatment in subfertile couples, in whom, apart from poor sperm quality, varicocele in the man was the only abnormal finding. This means that 17 men would need to be treated to achieve one additional pregnancy. However, findings were inconclusive as the quality of the available evidence was very low and more research is needed with live birth or pregnancy rate as the primary outcome.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Intrauterine insemination versus fallopian tube sperm perfusion for non-tubal infertility | Cochrane
Review question: This review compared intrauterine insemination versus fallopian tube sperm perfusion in the treatment of non-tubal subfertility, for live birth and pregnancy outcomes.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Danazol for pelvic pain associated with endometriosis | Cochrane
Danazol reduces the painful symptoms of endometriosis but has androgenic effects. Endometriosis is a painful condition where endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. It can cause cysts and infertility. Danazol is a hormone that produces male characteristics as well as weight gain and acne. It does, however, relieve the painful symptoms of endometriosis, although the side effects can be unacceptable. The improvement was still present six months after treatment was stopped. There was some evidence that women who took danazol were satisfied with the treatment compared with women who had inactive treatment.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Interventions for vaginismus | Cochrane
Vaginismus is when the muscles in the vagina tighten and prevent a woman having (vaginal) intercourse. It can cause distress, relationship problems and also infertility. Many treatments have been tried including sex therapy, education, hypnosis and drug treatments. Sex therapy may involve relaxation techniques and gradually inserting a dilator or finger into the vagina (this may be called systematic desensitisation).
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
