Causes of infertility in men and women

Where diagnosis begins

A couple is only told they are infertile after one year of regular intercourse without contraception. In most cases it is not a verdict — it is a reason to act clearly and in order.

Roughly 37% of cases come from male infertility, 33% from female, 21% from both partners, and in only 9% the cause stays unexplained.

Both partners are always examined. Starting with one means losing six months.

Causes of male infertility

Cause no. 1 — obstructive

Fertility drops because of congenital features or injuries to the vas deferens, together with problems of ejaculation:

• prostatitis
• retrograde ejaculation
• narrowing of the vas deferens
• vasectomy
• varicocele

Cause no. 2 — secretory

The count and the quality of the sperm change:

1. azoospermia — no sperm in the semen
2. oligozoospermia — lowered concentration
3. asthenozoospermia — lowered motility
4. teratospermia — under 30% normal morphology

What the work-up looks like

The full list of tests and timings is on the reproductive medicine page; below is what it looks like in the lab.

• 

  The embryology laboratory

• 

  Consultation before the protocol

We explain the results in plain words — no abbreviations and no rush.

What to bring

• your passport
• earlier test results
• discharge notes, if you had surgery