For a man to be fertile, his sperm cells must be healthy and be transported to their destination – the egg. Most cases of male infertility are due to sperm abnormalities, yet any of the following can play a role:
Fertilization depends on sperm that are properly shaped (morphology) and able to move (motility) rapidly and accurately toward the egg. Impaired motility and morphology can result in sperm not reaching the egg.
Men with 10 million or fewer sperm per milliliter are considered sub-fertile. Approximately 20 million or higher is considered average; 40 million sperm or higher per milliliter indicates increased fertility.
One cause of infertility is problems with reproductive organs and related glands. In some cases, conditions that were present at birth can affect a man’s later fertility. Surgery performed during childhood to correct abnormalities in the reproductive system can affect fertility as well.
The following are some examples of conditions that can impact either the production or delivery of healthy sperm:
Klinefelter syndrome and Sertoli-cell only syndrome have no known medical treatment unless sperm can be identified and extracted via different retrieval techniques.
Dr. Evan Rosenbluth, talks about whether biopsy-free embryo screening is on the horizon in a blog by Jennifer A. Redmond, May 9, 2013.
“I’m just glad IVF was there so now I get to start my own family,” said Strickland, 27, who was conceived at the San Ramon branch of the Reproductive Science Center.
Established in 1983, just two years after the first successful birth through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States, the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area has been a pioneering fertility medical practice for more than a quarter-century.
Our fertility clinics in San Ramon, Orinda, San Jose and Modesto are easily accessible to fertility patients from Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco County, Stanislaus County, Solano County, Merced County, Mariposa County, Calaveras County, Eldorado County, Placer County, San Benito County and Monterey County. Fertility doctors Dr. Weckstein, Dr. Willman, Dr. Hinckley, Dr. Sgarlata, Dr. Wachs and Dr. Ivani are specialists in infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, miscarriages, male infertility, pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS), egg freezing and reproductive medicine surgery.
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