Male fertility: His clock is ticking too

BY EMILY NELSON
MAY 29, 2013

 

CHICAGO — Women aren’t the only ones who ought to worry about the tick-tock of the fertility clock. Men represent 30 to 40 percent of the equation. 

Perhaps most surprising is that the widely held assumption that men can reproduce at any age has been debunked. “Sleep, genetics and age are factors that can influence male fertility,” said Chicago urologist Ronald Lee.  

The National Institutes of Health featured a study from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood that reported conception during a 12-month period was 30 percent less likely for men over age 40 as compared with men younger than 30. The same 2001 study also reported that DNA sperm fragmentation, which occurs when a man produces a greater than normal amount of poor quality sperm, increases with age.   

Dr. Sievakumar Ramu, clinical lab scientist at Fertility and Cryogenics Lab in Downers Grove, performs sperm DNA fragmentation analysis to determine which sperm is the healthiest.  

“Normally, 10 to 15 percent of sperm is fragmented. That’s considered normal. Anything higher than that we suspect there’s a problem,” Ramu said. Sperm with fragmented DNA is not able to penetrate the female egg to produce an embryo. Even if a man’s sperm count is considered normal, his sperm’s DNA quality may be poor.  

The Avon study also reported that an increased rate of DNA fragmentation leads to increased fetal abnormalities, or birth defects.  Ramu is able to identify which sperm is fragmented and which is not, allowing for the quality sperm sample to be used for in vitro fertilization, a process where the sperm is manually combined with eggs in the lab. This helps reduce the risk of birth defects from DNA fragmented sperm. 

In addition, there are now tests that can determine if infertility runs in the family. “Genetic testing can often identify potential causes of male factor infertility and allow assessment of risk of transmission to offspring,” Lee said.

Despite the many advances and treatment options for male infertility, it remains undertreated. “Men are often reluctant to come in for treatment,” he said.  

He suggested that an initial fertility screening be done on the male when no pregnancy has occurred within one year of unprotected intercourse. The diagnosis and treatment can be done quickly and cost effectively, at $100 to $500 depending on the procedure.