
Did you know that around 30-40% of secondary infertility cases are rooted in male infertility?
Yes. Secondary infertility.
Just because he has fathered a child before, doesn't mean he can do it now.
Things change.
Varicocele get bigger and their impact more significant.
Microbiome issues can develop at any point in time.
As men age, testosterone levels can decline - lowering libido and making it more difficult to have s#x often enough to make conception likely.
Men may think that if they could get a girl pregnant when they were 25 while still smoking and knocking back the pints, that they can do the same when they are 45.
But often they can't.
Sperm quality starts to decline with age from around 38-40. What young, fit, healthy sperm could cope with in terms of lifestyle choices is not the same as what older, more fragile sperm can cope with.
Sleep has an impact on sperm DNA integrity, with studies showing that men who sleep poorly, don't sleep enough or regularly go to bed too late are likely to have higher levels of sperm DNA fragmentation. Small children in the house will often mean disrupted sleep.
Fatness has an impact on sperm DNA fragmentation - and many men carry a few more pounds once there are small people in the house (maybe due to the easier access to biscuits!?). This can also cause a deterioration in fertility.
And yet so often when a couple approach me for help with secondary infertility, he hasn't even been offered a semen analysis as it's assumed that he is all good!
If you are struggling with secondary infertility, don't forget to look closely at him too. It is as likely to be a male fertility issue as a female fertility issue - and could be a bit of both.
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