Surviving Infertility & Mental Illness

As more men reveal their experiences with infertility, a picture is unveiling that the male struggle is just as impacting and, sometimes, debilitating as for women. While not all guys are comfortable enough yet to be as open as women tend to be about their fertility problems (as evidenced by the huge number of online infertility support groups, and the relatively sparse number of men participants), the ones who are “coming out” have powerful stories to tell.

I recently came across this interview with Matt Barwick, a young man whose life has already included a great deal of loss, including family tragedy, infertility, and mental illness. But when you listen in on this radio show where he talks about his new memoir, “My Life in Limbo: Surviving depression, infertility and mental illness” (Big Sky Publishing), what you hear isn't depressing at all.

Like some of my patients at Houston Fertility Center have expressed, venturing through the infertility journey is daunting, but also instills of sense of being a “survivor” along the way. Couples usually find that this shared experience both challenges and strengthens their relationship. For anyone, regardless of relationship status, taking such conscious steps to have a child becomes a hallmark period of time in their life, and most often, a time that they look back on with great pride. The same feelings can be felt by individuals who are further challenged in life by mental illness.

Take a few minutes to listen to this young man's story. While the title sounds like it would be a let-down, in fact, it is inspiring and should be shared, especially with the men in your life.

~ Dr. Sonja Kristiansen M.D.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dear Valentine: Would You Take An At-Home Sperm Test?

Okay, it's not really the most romantic idea, so you may want to wait until a day or two later to ask, but getting your guy in on the diagnostic testing is a crucial piece of the infertility puzzle.

And now, he'll be able to test his sperm count at home. It's not the first product of its kind, but starting in April, it could be the only one on shelves of big drugstores like Walgreens and CVS, and it appears to be simpler to use. According to this article on Bloomberg.com, the makers are counting on "women dropping an extra $40 for the test when they buy ovulation and pregnancy kits for themselves."

Great idea, since it's true that most men aren't eager to jump with both feet into the fertility diagnostic effort. It's hard to blame them. But proceeding with fertility treatment having only searched for causes in the woman is like, well, getting a half-filled box of chocolates.

Still, $40 seems like a lot to drop on something that only gives you part of the picture anyway. Like its predecessors, SpermCheck Fertility tells you whether or not the sperm count is 20 million or more per millileter of semen, which is considered normal. That's all.

The test doesn't give users any information on the extremely important factors of morphology (sperm cell shape) or motility (movement), both of which can make or break a guy's capacity to play Cupid to your Valentine.

For just a slightly higher fee, you can get the whole big picture -- count, shape, and movement of the sperm cells -- and have a laboratory professional do the reading. (Do I get patient calls like this: "Dr. Kristiansen, I can't tell if I see a line on this OPK..."? Yes, I do.)

So, I can't advise you on whether or not to spend your money on this product, but if you do and find out that he's "normal" -- but you still don't get pregnant -- I *can* tell you that your continuing infertility is not necessarily, therefore, all on your shoulders. It's not uncommon to have a great sperm count but with a high percentage of cells that don't function well.

Fortunately, reproductive endocrinologists (like me) have plenty of ways around those issues. Please note: you won't find the most advanced treatments, like ICSI or TESE, available through OB/Gyns who aren't Board Certified in REI. In fact, just like shelling out the bucks for at-home tests that don't give you a full diagnostic result, trying to achieve pregnancy with male factor infertility through your OB/Gyn can be a money drain.

Besides, if the at-home sperm count test comes back "abnormal" your next step is heading to a physician anyway. I bet your sweetheart would far rather lob all of those arrows in one appointment. If he's sweet enough to participate in helping you have a baby, maybe you should bundle all of his related tasks into one romantic, hopeful day. The Houston Fertility Center staff is happy to help make your dreams real.

~ Dr. Sonja Kristiansen MD

Male Infertility Research & Recommendations Long Overdue

Last month, I wrote about more enlightening research on male fertility and dietary factors. A lot of women may not admit it, but some are perfectly comfortable stepping up and saying, "It's about time!" So far, most research has focused on female fertility and obstacles to conceiving. A recent article -- "The Bad Daddy Factor" -- points to some possible societal reasons why this may be the case.

Article author Emily Anthes goes all the way back to the 1960's to mention the few researchers who were looking at the impact of men's contribution on both fertility and infant well-being. She describes how most of their scientific colleagues weren't equally concerned, so the burden of cause continued to fall mostly in women's laps for decades. The writer goes on to connect this historical lack of aggressive research with society's viewpoints on gender and even politics. The good news: those viewpoints seem to be evolving.

Like my own colleagues, I am thrilled every time I hear about new interest in reproductive research. The more we learn about the causes of infertility, the better able we are to both educate young men about prevention and to treat the later results of lifestyle choices that are not fertility-focused.

On behalf of Houston Fertility Center's staff, my wish this season is that you and yours reap the benefits from advancing research, technology, and compassionate fertility care -- and grow your family with love.