What male fertility treatments are available?

To diagnose and determine the extent of male factor infertility, a semen sample must be collected either through masturbation or surgical removal.  

Medical therapies

In approximately 50% of infertility cases, male factor infertility is the primary cause.  

For example, hypogonadism (low sperm quantity and quality) and infection/inflammation in the male reproductive tract can be common causes of subnormal semen and impaired egg fertilization. Both conditions are usually treatable.

Surgical sperm retrieval for azoospermia

Azoospermia is a condition where there are no sperm in the man’s semen. Azoospermia is caused by poor testicular function or obstruction of the male reproductive tract. It is the most challenging male infertility condition to manage.

The following procedures may be used to treat azoospermia:

  • Microepdidymal Sperm Aspiration (MESA): A procedure that gathers sperm from the duct that stores and transports sperm from the testes to the deferens tubes.
  • Percutaneous Epdidymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA): The insertion of a needle through the scrotum into the epididymis, where sperm are stored prior to reaching the deferens tubes.
  • Testicular Excisional Sperm Extraction (TESE): Removal of a small amount of testicular tissue from which sperm may be extracted. This is not normally performed for blockages, but can be used in cases where azoospermia is caused by testicular failure, an uncommon condition.
  • Testicular Excisional Sperm Aspiration (TESA): A needle is used to gather sperm directly from the testes. This is similar to TESE, except tissue is not removed.

Viable sperm can be stored (frozen) for use at any time in future fertility treatments.

Fertility preservation for cancer survivors

Men who have had cancer and are in remission after chemotherapy, radiation therapy or aggressive surgery will often find their fertility severely impaired. It is therefore critical that fertility preservation procedures begin before cancer treaments.  

If treatments have already occured, advanced semen analysis can be used to evaluate sperm quality and our advanced microsurgical techniques such as micro-dissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) can allow men to use their own sperm for the couple to achieve IVF pregnancy.

Assisted reproduction options for patients with medical conditions

Men with spinal cord injury, diabetes, pelvic and bladder injury or other neurological conditions may have severe impairment to their sexual function, particularly in the ejaculation of semen.

Originelle can provide each of the procedures above to retrieve viable sperm for IVF treatments.