CHENNAI: Men receive lesser attention when compared to women in the matter of infertility. The overall male-factor infertility witnessed a rise of 10%-15% in previous decade to 18%-20%. About 30% of couples attending fertility diagnosis clinics now have male-factor infertility. Some of the influential factors, such as lifestyle, environmental and medical conditions often contribute to decrease in fertility.
Understanding the specific causes of male infertility, the different conditions, and the available treatment options is important for addressing this growing concern. The most common medications are indigenous medicines and multivitamins. But, these won’t work for everyone. Once diagnosed with reduced fertility, such crucial conditions require core medical attention and treatment.
Crucial infertility conditions
There are three main male infertility conditions. One such is Oligozoospermia. This condition denotes to reduced sperm count and causes male infertility with low motility associated with sexual dysfunction.
The other most common condition, ‘Zero Count’ or Azoospermia, refers to complete absence of sperm. This condition requires advanced medical intervention for the possibility of childbirth for the couple.
In a rare condition called Cryptozoospermia, there could be only 6-7 sperms seen in one sample where it is highly complicated to conceive naturally or through IVF. Specialised treatments and medical techniques are necessary to attempt conception.
Advanced treatment options
In infertility cases involving extremely low sperm count, specialised advanced techniques such as use of VD devices are engaged. Despite these high challenges, advancements in medical technology have led to a range of effective treatments for male infertility, offering a chance for conception even during the most critical conditions.
Though the male fertility factor is found by other specialists, the patient has to approach a fertility expert for treatment and find a spectrum of treatment specifically personalised based on the patient’s diagnosis report.
The treatment would start with finding good sperms. One such treatment technique is Physiological Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (PICSI) which is a method of naturally selecting sperms depending on motility and how it moves.
The Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection (IMSI) method is followed where the sperm head is traced they are selected based on the head of the sperm structure that is less damaged. Subsequently, Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) is a technique, which works on the principle of fast-moving sperm.
The selected sperms are more likely to fertilise an egg successfully. Depending on the conditions of the male infertility treatment would be recommended.
Though diagnosed by other specialists, couples experiencing difficulties in conceiving should formally seek evaluation from a fertility specialist for further procedures. The treatment strategies and options can be identified based on the individual’s comprehensive assessment. Such approaches can break the barriers and increase the chances of conceiving.
(The writer is a fertility specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, Chennai.)