What to Expect from Male Fertility Test ?

When a couple has difficulty conceiving, there is a 50/50 possibility that the male cannot contribute to the pregnancy. However, this is not a blame game; it is about equipping oneself with the information necessary to achieve the desired end. In addition, as per research, 50% of the time, there is a male factor present, contributing to If you and your spouse are experiencing difficulty conceiving, it might be prudent for you both to be tested. Let’s look at the various male fertility test options a doctor might consider to assess your fertility.

What Factors Affect Men’s Fertility?

Male infertility may be caused by insufficient sperm production, impaired sperm function, or obstructions preventing sperm delivery. Further, male infertility may be due to diseases, injuries, chronic health issues, lifestyle habits, and other causes. A male fertility test can identify the exact cause behind fertility.

Medical conditions that may affect male fertility include:

• Varicocele
• Ejaculation issues
• Antibodies attacking sperm
• Infections
• Chromosome defects
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Retrograde Ejaculation
• Premature Ejaculation
• Some medications
• Any prior surgeries

Some lifestyle habits that affect male fertility are:

• Tobacco smoking
• Being overweight
• Alcohol & Drug usage
• Being overweight

Additionally, some environmental factors may also contribute to male fertility, including:

• Heavy metal exposure in the workplace
• Industrial Chemicals
• X-Rays or Radiation
• Overheating the testicles

So to determine what exactly causes male fertility, you need to undergo a male fertility test and start with the necessary treatment. Let’s proceed to what happens during an initial medical evaluation.

What Happens During The Initial Medical Evaluation?

So during your initial visit, the doctor will usually start with a physical examination and evaluate your medical history and lifestyle choices. So the doctor may ask:

• any prior surgeries
• any medications you take
• about your exercise habits
• any drug abuse or smoking

Following that, they may also inquire about your sex life, including STDs and any problems while having sex, and the doctor might ask for a semen sample for semen analysis.

For your sexual life, the doctor might ask if you are experiencing any of the below conditions:

• erectile dysfunction
• retrograde ejaculation
• premature ejaculation

In some males, identifying the reason for infertility might be difficult. Yet, experts may prescribe various options for fertility tests for men that may help determine the underlying issue. Here are male fertility test options that you may anticipate.

Semen Analysis

A qualified professional examines the number, shape, and other aspects of your sperm. In general, having a greater quantity of normal-shaped sperm indicates more fertility. However, this rule has several exceptions, and many men with low sperm or irregular sperm remain fertile.

Additionally, as per 2015 research, up to 2%of all males had suboptimal sperm measures.

Procedure

So for this male fertility test, you need to visit the doctor’s clinic. Further, they will offer you a container where you need to ejaculate. However, if religious or cultural views prevent you from doing so, you may use a special condom during sexual activity. Following that, the doctor will proceed with further analysis.

If the first examination of the sperm is acceptable, your physician may request a second test to verify the findings. Two normal tests often indicate the absence of significant infertility issues. If anything in the results seems strange, your doctor may prescribe more tests to determine the cause of the problem. Since sperm counts vary from specimen to specimen, it may be necessary to submit several samples.

What Does Semen Analysis Looks For?

• Infection presence: In the case of certain bacteria, the test may reveal the infection.
• Semen Volume: This is a measurement of your specimen’s total semen.
• Sperm concentration: WHO considers an average of 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen as the normal male sperm count. Anything lower may cause infertility. This analysis also determines Whether males have either azoospermia, oligozoospermia, or Teratozoospermia which causes sperm concentration problems.
• Motility: Below 32%of motile sperm implies subfertility.
• Vitality:  This checks sperm vitality.
• Morphology: What is the form of sperm? Even if you don’t believe it, most of the sperm in your specimen will be imperfect. However, if over 12% are of average size and form, this implies fertility.

Urinalysis

Sometimes sperm cells satisfy conventional reproductive testing, yet you still have difficulty starting a family.

This might imply normozoospermic infertility, which occurs when the sperm cells are sterile. Thus, urinalysis, another fertility test for men, comes into play.

Procedure

Upon visiting the lab or doctor’s clinic, you will receive a plastic cup, and the staff will instruct you to provide a clean, small urine sample. Moreover, use the included cleaning wipe to clean the surrounding urethral to prevent penile germs from accessing the cup.

What Does Urinalysis Look For?

By monitoring the amounts of five biomarkers (small molecules) in the sample, clinicians in this male fertility test may now detect normozoospermic infertility. As per a study, the investigators were able to properly detect 86 percent of the infertile males and 87% of fertile men.

Hormone Analysis

Whenever it relates to sperm production, the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the testicles collaborate. So besides testosterone, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone come into the process. Moreover, a simple blood test can reveal the levels of these three essential hormones. So the doctor may prescribe the hormone test for male infertility to determine the following hormone levels:

FSH

This hormone helps in the synthesis of sperm.

High levels may suggest improper testicular function or damage from illness, X-rays, or chemotherapy. Further, low levels may indicate that you are unable to produce sperm.

LH

LH The pituitary gland produces this hormone. The hormone testosterone, which is necessary for the production of sperm, is released in the testes whenever LH attaches to receptors.

Testosterone

Men should have 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) of healthy testosterone. Remember that testosterone levels typically decline by around 1% yearly beyond 40.

So this male fertility test will depict the hormone levels. So in case the hormone levels aren’t as expected, the doctor will prescribe the required treatment.

Genetic Testing

The study of genetic reasons for infertility has developed since the invention of in vitro fertilization methods. Moreover,  ten percent to twenty percent of males with significant sperm production issues have genetic problems. Hence, doctors prescribe this male fertility test.

Results of the test can:

• relieve you of doubt and assist you in avoiding pointless surgeries or medical procedures
• guide you in deciding what your best options are for your future steps

Anti-Sperm Antibodies

Typically, sperm does not interact with the remainder of the body or the immune system. However, the prostate gland’s injuries, surgery, or inflammation may compromise this mechanism.

In addition, when sperm interacts with the immune response, the body may develop anti-sperm antibodies. If the reason for infertility is still unknown, your physician may request an anti-sperm antibody test.

Procedure

You have to provide a semen specimen. So using a chemical that attaches solely to afflicted sperm, the test determines if your sperm has antibodies that attack them.

Test Outcomes

The more significant the proportion of sperm impacted by antibodies, the lesser the likelihood of fertilization. (These antibodies may also be present in females, so your physician may request that your spouse must undergo the test.)

Doctors disagree as to whether or not this test is necessary. Others recommend using medicine to reduce the body’s immune system to establish an infertility treatment strategy.

Retrograde Ejaculation

Retrograde ejaculation happens when, during orgasm, sperm reaches the bladder instead of exiting the penis. Despite reaching sexual climax, you may release very little or no sperm. So this is also known as a dry orgasm. Hence, the doctor might order a male fertility test to check this condition in a male.

Procedure

Usually, the doctor will check your urine for checking semen presence after an orgasm. So for this, visit the doctor’s clinic; they will ask you to empty your bladder, engage in climax masturbation, and then produce a urine specimen for testing.

So if a significant amount of sperm is present in the urine, the test confirms retrograde ejaculation.

Obstruction

Sometimes, your physician may request imaging to ensure that your organ system is healthy and has no obstructions. So the doctor will recommend this male fertility test if your sperm levels are normal and other tests don’t report any infertility cause.

Scrotal ultrasound

During this examination, the doctor moves a portable probe over the scrotum. Using high-frequency sound waves, the examination checks for:

• Infections
• Tumors
• Testicular fluid collection
• Cysts

The test will also determine the presence of testicular torsion and varicoceles. If this causes infertility, the doctor might recommend surgery.

Transrectal ultrasound

A tiny, lubricated probe is introduced into the rectum. So the imaging allows your doctor to examine your prostate and ensures vas deferens have no blockages. Further, surgical intervention may remove obstructions.

Testicular Biopsy

If your previous male fertility test results are inconclusive, you may need to take this test.

This procedure extracts a sample from the testicle using a needle or a tiny incision. If the testicular biopsy reveals that sperm production is good, your infertility could result from obstruction or other issues with sperm transport.

Bottom Line

In case you have been trying for a baby and can’t achieve any positive outcomes, both of you must undergo fertility tests. Men might undergo the above-mentioned male fertility test to determine if there is anything causing issues with impregnating their partner. The male fertility test cost depends upon the test you are performing, the city you are living in, and the test’s availability.

If premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction are causing any trouble, then You can also take expert advice from Ohman. Further, for medication, you can directly order the best erectile dysfunction medicines and medicine for premature ejaculation in India online from Ohman after understanding your current health condition.