Male Infertility - What Every Couple TTC Needs to Know!

Male infertility is more common than you may think. If you judged based only on how often you read or hear about male infertility on the news, you might think that infertility is mainly a "woman's problem." But this couldn't be further from the truth.

I know infertility awareness week was last week, but if any aspect of infertility needs some time in the spotlight -- male infertility is it, in my opinion. About 20% of couples with infertility will discover the problem is only with the male partner, and about 40% of couples will discover the problems exist in both the woman and the man.

What does this mean for you? Well, for one thing, be sure you are both tested for fertility problems. Sometimes, just the woman is tested, since she sees her gynecologist first. The gynecologist may or may not recommend testing the man (it depends on how fertility savvy they are). Undiagnosed male infertility can lead to wasted treatment time.

I know a couple who went through several cycles of fertility drugs, not knowing that severe male infertility was a factor in their trouble conceiving. (To make things more touchy, the reason the male infertility was undiagnosed was the husband refused to be tested.) They found out that IVF treatment was their only bet -- but only after going through the emotional, financial, and physical turmoil of treatments that could never work.

Learn more about male infertility and male infertility testing in these articles:

• Male Infertility: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
• What to Expect During Semen Analysis
• Do I Really Need a Semen Analysis?
• Does Age Matter for Male Fertility?