Video: How is Male Fertility Tested?

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0:00:00.000,0:00:05.000 (text on screen): Ask the Expert 0:00:05.000,0:00:07.000 Fertility Authority. Your Most Trusted Source 0:00:07.000,0:00:10.000 How is male infertility tested? 0:00:10.000,0:00:15.000 Ahmad Hammoud, M.D., Utah Center for Reproductive Health: There’s a wide range of diagnostic tests that we can do to evaluate the male fertility, 0:00:15.000,0:00:18.000 in addition to the physical exam. 0:00:18.000,0:00:30.000 Most of the time, the diagnosis is done in collaboration between a fertility specialist and, sometimes, where we seek the help of a urologist or an andrologist, 0:00:30.000,0:00:37.000 which is a person who specializes in advanced testing for male fertility. 0:00:37.000,0:00:42.000 There are numerous tests that we can do that start with a semen analysis. 0:00:42.000,0:00:47.000 As simple as that, the semen analysis can be complex to interpret. 0:00:47.000,0:00:57.000 There’s a special way of doing the semen analysis. Most of the time we have to rely on two tests, separated by two to three weeks apart. 0:00:57.000,0:01:10.000 Other advanced tests include blood tests to test for hormonal problems that can cause problems with the sexual function, or problems with the sperm analysis. 0:01:10.000,0:01:17.000 Sometimes we have to test more rare and unique conditions, like genetic conditions that can cause male infertility, 0:01:17.000,0:01:22.000 and these can be tested on the blood or tested on the sperm. 0:01:22.000,0:01:25.000 Sometimes we make the diagnosis based only on the history. 0:01:25.000,0:01:33.000 It can be sometimes as simple as a medication that our guy is taking and we stop that medication and everything goes back to normal, 0:01:33.000,0:01:41.000 to more advanced; sometimes we have to do testing as extensive as, for example, a testicular biopsy, 0:01:41.000,0:01:49.000 which is a small surgical procedure where we have to open the testes and check inside to see whether there’s the sperm present. 0:01:49.000,0:01:59.000 Statistics show that at least one of every three couples that come to seek fertility treatment, we will find some problems with the sperm. 0:01:59.000,0:02:09.000 And actually, in two-thirds of the cases, we’ll find some problem with the sperm in addition to some problems with ovulation as well as problems with the tubes. 0:02:09.000,0:02:13.000 (text on screen): Ask the Expert 0:02:13.000,0:02:15.000 Fertility Authority. Your Most Trusted Source