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What should we know about male infertility



Like the infertility issues in females, 
male fertility correlates with the age, lifestyle, and individual background. 
If you are aware of these factors, 
you may know more about your own body state.


With the dramatic change in recent society, people tend to start family late. We usually choose to pursue career first, and put starting our own family at the second priority. This decision made more people encounter the infertility problems at their late 30s and 40s of age. More and more studies demonstrated that the quality of oocyte declines with increasing female age. Thus oocyte cryopreservation for the social reason becomes more popular. How about the men? Several studies also found that the mean age of fathering men showed increased since 1993 to date. Meanwhile, the percentage of male factor in the entire population with fertility problem is increasing as well. The following 4 questions are frequently asked by our male cases,





1. Should semen analysis be routinely clinical testing?


Reproductive potential gradually declines with advanced paternal age, but the declining speed is not as fast as maternal ovaries. The semen analysis is the most common method to check the general sperm quality. Some studies indicated that there is significant decrease in semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility and sperm morphology among older men. The pregnancy rate in the men at 40s displayed 10% down than that in the men at 30s. Thus the males with advanced age and abnormal semen parameters have higher risk for the infertility issue. Should the semen analysis be routine testing? Maybe NOT. Only the couple who has failed to conceive for ≧1 year is recommended.






2. Should PGS (preimplantation genetic screening) be performed in the men at advanced age? 


The rate of aneuploid embryo is higher in women at advanced age (≧36 years old), and thus PGS becomes an option for them to choose the embryo with normal chromosomal dosage. Is it possible that the aneuploid embryo derived from the sperm with advanced paternal age ? Hassold et al. demonstrated that one of the cause for trisomy 21 is paternal chromosome nondisjunction, and it accounted for 20% of the entire population with trisomy 21. A more-recently scientific article showed that significantly increasing aneuploid rate in embryos from the older men and men with oligozoospermia. It appears that suboptimal sperm can be a source of embryo aneuploidy. However, the correlation of paternal age and embryo aneuploidy is not as strong as that of maternal age. For those with partner at advanced maternal age, or with the recurrent miscarriage history or family inherited disease, PGS/PGD is recommended. Generally, the paternal age is not the sole indication for PGS.





3. What should the older father know?

Several reports showed the children with older fathers are more likely to develop certain pathologies, such as the schizophrenia. The rate of autism spectrum disorders slightly increases as well. For the father themselves, some medical comorbidities do affect the fertility, like heart disease and chronic medicines of hypertension. It could lead to erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hypertrophy.




4. Should males cryopreserve their sperm for social reason?


The sperm motility could be halved after cryopreservation. For men with known fertile issue, cryopresevation may induce sperm DNA damage. Since the correlation between fertility and male age is not as strong as the female age, there is no need to cryopreserve sperm for the social reason, and the state of frozen sperm is not comparable to the fresh sperm.

Beyond examinations, healthy diet and lifestyle do help the fertility. It's not necessary to cryopreserve sperm at young age. If the body stays good, the quality of sperm may remain for a long time.



Stork Fertility Center Stork Fertility Center Author

Our embryologist



Lab Director   Wen-Yi, Julia, Chiang 



Julia has worked at the department of assisted reproduction technology (ART) for 16 years. And now, she is the director of the embryology lab, supervising the ART procedures, oocyte cryopreservation, and technique upgrading. 


A sense of mission


Julia started from a consultant, and truly understood what the customers need. She likes listening their sharing, as well as the story behind. Once she received a call, telling that she couldn't make the injection herself. Julia finished the routine works as soon as possible, and drove to that case's home to do the injection. Just like caring the patient, she served the embryo with all her heart.

"I always remind myself not to forget my original mind."


   With department of nursing


Be a learner

Although the daily work is tight now, Julia doesn't stop learning. At Stork Fertility Center, every patient has her own "pregnancy code," calculating the possibility of getting pregnancy based on the individual profile and IVF outcomes. This code is fully personalized, and also providing an indication for adjusting the following ART procedures. Julia believed that the works of an embryologist should not be routine, and there are many unknowns in this realm.

"The ART equippments are improved every day, so are we (embryologists)." 



With department of ART



Always dreaming

A 57-year-old case impressed Julia so much. After the patient's children going to the primary school, Julia still visited her family annually. Because the companion was from the beginning to the end during IVF, Julia still remembered her expression after hearing the pregnancy result. This memory pushed Julia to face each challenge bravely, and she said to herself,

" Every embryo is a dream from the family. I just want to realize the dream."
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Stork Fertility Center Stork Fertility Center Author

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