Male Hypogonadism vs. Male Hypergonadism

Male infertility analysis can reveal hypogonadism or hypergonadism. If you’ve received a diagnosis of either of these, then you might have questions about their meaning and how they can affect your fertility. Talk to your infertility specialist about your specific and unique results. Hormone tests and semen analyses may be performed to get a true diagnosis of either hypogonadism or hypergonadism.
Male hypogonadism refers to a lack of function of the gonads. Basically, this term is used when the testes produce little or no hormones. When being tested for hypogonadism, your testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels will be evaluated. Most forms of hypogonadism are treatable.
Male hypogonadism can affect growth and development during puberty. Hypogonadism can be caused by infection or injury. You can also just be born with it. The treatment can depend on when you started being affected by hypogonadism. Males born with hypogonadism can have underdeveloped sex organs and treatment options may be limited. If hypogonadism was developed at puberty, other symptoms may be observed. Symptoms can include reduced muscle development, sparse or no beard growth, development of breast tissue and/or a lack of voice deepening. If onset occurs as an adult, symptoms would include erectile dysfunction, decrease in body hair and facial hair growth, increase in body fat, decrease in muscle mass, infertility problems and/or development of breast tissue. Hypogonadism developed during puberty or adulthood is treatable by hormone therapy.
Treatment of male hypogonadism depends on whether or not fertility is an issue. If it is not, then testosterone replacement therapy may be recommended by your doctor. If it is, then talk to an infertility specialist about what treatments can help you increase your chances of increasing your fertility odds.
Male hypergonadism is basically the opposite of hypogonadism. In hypergonadism, there are higher than normal hormone levels present. Like hypogonadism, hypergonadism can occur during puberty, later in life, or you can be born with it. Hypergonadism is very rare. Symptoms include early puberty, acne, excessive muscle mass and mood swings. Breast tissue growth and unusual body hair growth are other signs of hypergonadism.
The treatment of hypergonadism is more difficult than treating hypogonadism and you should seek the help of an endocrinologist when treating it. It is more difficult to lower hormone levels than to increase them, so getting all of the hormones to the correct levels can be a more intensive process.
Hormone therapies are common when treating male hypogonadism and hypergonadism. If fertility is a concern, then you should consult a reproductive endocrinologist before proceeding with any type of hormone therapy. An infertility specialist, or reproductive endocrinologist, can help you determine the best course of action for your infertility treatment.

Semen Analysis Report Explained

Couples battling infertility may go through a borage of tests to determine what their course of action should be. In the initial diagnostic phase, the male and female will be tested for infertility factors. Many couples have questions about the male diagnostic procedure and their semen analysis report.
Testing for male infertility includes a history evaluation, physical exam, hormone tests and a semen analysis. The semen analysis measures the volume of semen, sperm count, sperm motility and the number of normal shaped sperm. Many things can affect the results of the semen analysis. Your medical history, medications, birth defects and your environment can all affect your sperm quality.
If you receive a semen analysis and have questions about the results, talk to your infertility specialist. Keep in mind that semen analysis results can vary greatly from day to day, and if you receive an abnormal report, then your doctor will retest you within a week or two of the first analysis. Sperm can take about three months to fully form in your body. Illness, medication and environmental hazards that you were exposed to up to three months ago can affect your results. Retesting at varying time intervals helps your doctor properly diagnose semen abnormalities.
The semen analysis is conducted to determine if the sperm is capable of fertilizing a human egg. If you have been able to achieve pregnancy before, either naturally or by In Vitro Fertilization, then you have a good indication that the sperm will be able to fertilize an egg. If you’ve had a semen analysis, then you may have questions about the terminology used in the report and what the results really mean. Normal results can include a high number of abnormal sperm, a low number of viable sperm and other seemingly dismal results. Don’t despair if your initial results look bad.
Sperm motility refers to the sperms ability to move through the seminal fluid. Movement and forward progression is necessary for the sperm to travel to the egg. This variable of the semen analysis will be expressed as a percentage of the total number of sperm that are mobile. There may also be a subcategory of sperm that has movement, but may have some limited mobility, no forward progression, or irregular movements.
Your semen analysis will also include a percentage of sperm that has a normal shape. This is referred to as morphology, and identifies the percentage of sperm that is most likely to have fertilization capabilities. A normally shaped sperm should have an oval head, defined midsection and a long tail. A sperm is considered abnormal if it has a large or pointed head, round head, two heads, no tail, double tail, and so on. Anything that doesn’t strictly adhere to the norm will be considered abnormal in the morphology report. Numbers of abnormal sperm can be very high in an acceptable semen sample, so don’t be discouraged if the percentage of normal sperm seems low. Talk with your infertility specialist about what percentage is considered acceptable.
Sperm concentration and sperm count are also evaluated for the report. There can be huge variations from one analysis to the next depending on when the sample was taken. Be patient and keep in mind that one semen analysis is not enough to determine the cause of your fertility problems. Don’t try to interpret results on your own. A caring infertility specialist will discuss your results in depth with you and make sure that all of your questions are answered before you move on to treatment options.

About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.

Possible Causes of Infertility

Infertility is defined by most as the inability to become pregnant or sustain pregnancy after one year of regular sexual activity without the use of contraceptives. Pregnancy can only occur when a chain of events happens uninterrupted. First, the woman must ovulate. The egg must be able to travel down the fallopian tube and be fertilized by a viable sperm. Then the fertilized egg must be implanted into the uterus. The uterus must be able to support the pregnancy. If any of these systems are interrupted, then infertility may occur.
Male infertility can be caused by problems with producing sperm, sperm count or sperm mobility. Sometimes the sperm produced can be misshapen or distorted in a way that prevents it from moving correctly. This prevents it from reaching the egg. Sometimes men are born with this problem. Other times there are other factors causing the sperm count or mobility to be low. Illness, injury and disease can cause problems with the sperm that result in male infertility.
A man’s lifestyle can affect his infertility as well. Alcohol, drugs, poor diet, smoking, medications, extreme inactivity or too much exercise can all affect a man’s fertility. Age may be a significant factor. The older a man gets, the more likely he is to experience fertility problems. A fertility specialist may be able to help you diagnose what is causing your infertility, although sometimes a cause can not be determined.
Female infertility is often caused by problems with ovulation. Ovulation is when an egg is released from the ovary. Problems with ovulation can usually be detected by monitoring the menstrual cycle of the woman. If the cycle is irregular or has ceased, then there may be an ovulation problem.
If there is an egg to be fertilized, then it must be able to travel down the fallopian tube. If there is a blockage, then implantation in the uterus can not occur. If a fertilized egg gets stuck in the fallopian tube, then it can cause an ectopic pregnancy. Endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine fibroids can be other causes of infertility in women. Sometimes the uterus itself can be structurally misshapen or too distorted to support a pregnancy.
Many lifestyle factors should be considered when determining the cause of a female’s infertility. Age, illness, hormonal changes or imbalances, smoking, weight, alcohol use, smoking, exercise level and diet should all be evaluated. Sexually transmitted diseases can also cause infertility. Weight is a common cause of infertility. If a woman weighs too little or too much, it can affect the signal from the brain that tells the ovary to release the egg.
There are many causes of infertility for men and women that are not discussed here. You should talk with your doctor or infertility specialist about what specific causes of infertility you might be experiencing. Careful planning, lifestyle changes, hormonal treatments or surgery could help you conceive. The best thing to do is to come up with an infertility treatment plan that is right for you.

About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.

Male Infertility

Infertility in men is about as common as infertility in women. Infertility is described as the inability to conceive after about one year of sexual intercourse without the use of contraceptives. If age is a factor, then you may want to consult a doctor or infertility specialist after about six months of trying, as fertility decreases with age. Some causes for infertility can be harder to treat the longer they are left without intervention, so don’t hesitate to seek advice early if you suspect that infertility may be a factor for you.
Many things can cause infertility in men. Illness, disease, injury, obstruction in the tubes of the testes, diet, weight and activity levels are only some of the causes of male infertility. Common causes of infertility are low sperm count, dysfunctional or immobile sperm, and impaired sperm delivery. Men can be born with some of these conditions, or they can develop them later in life.
When determining the cause of infertility in a couple, the man and woman should be examined. The procedures for examining male infertility are generally simple and non-invasive. Your doctor will check for sperm production, irregularities in the testes, and hormonal imbalances among other possible causes. A semen analysis will tell if the ejaculate has adequate seminal fluid to allow for sperm movement. The sperm will be checked for number of sperm, the shape and structure of the sperm, mobility, seminal fluid and total volume or amount of ejaculate.
If there is no sperm present in the seminal fluid, then it is termed azoospermia. This can be caused by a malformation in the testes or a possible obstruction in one of the ducts necessary to deliver the sperm effectively into the ejaculate. If sperm is present in the fluid, then it will be tested for abnormalities. If a significant number of sperm are abnormal, then they can be a cause for infertility. Your infertility specialist may wish to perform a sperm-mucus interaction test. This test will determine if the sperm are able to live within and move through cervical mucus and thus, through the female reproductive system.
Your doctor may also wish to conduct a sperm penetration assay. This will determine your sperm’s ability to latch on and penetrate an egg’s outer layer. Infection, disease and illness will be looked for. These things can affect your testosterone and sperm production.
About half of all male infertility cases can be treated through assisted reproduction. Your infertility specialist will determine which treatments will be best for you depending on your situation. If there is a neurological reason that ejaculate can not be obtained, such as spinal cord injury, then you may be a candidate for electroejaculation. This process stimulates the body to excrete semen. If an obstruction, injury or deformity is present, then a surgeon can sometimes retrieve sperm surgically from the sperm duct. Sometimes this procedure can be conducted with a needle and surgery isn’t required. Sperm washing refers to the method that mixes sperm with a washing medium, and concentrates the healthiest sperm into an inert buffered fluid that can be used for intrauterine insemination, increasing your chances of conception.
Talk with your doctor and infertility specialist about possible causes and treatments of male infertility. Remember that about half of all infertile men can be treated and conception can be possible for you.

About the Author: Eric Daiter is the medical director of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, LLC, a leading NEW JERSEY INFERTILITY CENTER that offers a complete range of MALE INFERTILITY AND FEMALE INFERTILITY TREATMENT. For more information on The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine and Dr. Eric Daiter please visit www.drericdaitermd.com.