HEALTHIER YOU: Male infertility: What to do

BY DR. ANNETTE MAYES

Many couples have difficulty conceiving a baby. Fertility issues are common — about 11 percent of reproductive-age couples in the United States have trouble conceiving or sustaining a pregnancy — and can originate with either the man or the woman. About one-third of these cases are due to male fertility problems, about one third are related to female fertility problems, and the rest are due to factors involving both partners or unexplained causes.

If you’ve had regular, unprotected sex for more than a year (or six months if you’re older than 35) without conceiving, see your doctor.

According to Resolve, the national infertility association, It is estimated that 65 percent of couples that receive fertility treatments are eventually able to have a successful pregnancy.

Identifying a fertility problem in men involves an initial examination. If a semen analysis shows abnormalities, or if anything in your medical or reproductive history indicates you need more thorough evaluation, you may be referred to an urologist or other male reproductive specialist. That doctor can recommend treatment and help you decide which assisted reproductive technology options to pursue.

Sometimes, there’s a genetic reason for male infertility that could be passed down to children. If your physician wants to rule out this possibility, he may order blood tests and refer you to a genetic counselor to help you understand the results.

You may be more likely to have trouble conceiving if you:

• Smoke tobacco or marijuana

• Have three or more alcoholic drinks per day

• Use illegal drugs

• Take anabolic steroids

• Take certain medications, including testosterone replacement therapy, or drugs used to treat arthritis, high blood pressure, depression, cancer, infection, or a digestive disorder.

• Have a chronic illness, such as diabetes, cancer, or thyroid disease

• Have poor nutrition

We celebrate our fathers this Father’s Day, but we also need to take care of our men without children, so they too can experience the incomparable blessing of fatherhood.

For additional information, contact the Las Vegas All Women’s Care Offices at (702) 522-9640. Or visit us at 700 Shadow Lane No. 165 (1st floor) in Las Vegas.