Understanding Severe Male-Factor Infertility
An infertility diagnosis is an eye-opening realization for men. Conventional wisdom often places infertility at the feet of women. Statistics, however, reveal that men struggle with infertility at equal rates. Doctors trace most male-factor infertility to problems with sperm quantity or quality. Oligospermia and azoospermia, a reduced or complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate, are examples of infertility. Despite these challenges, there are medical advancements, like microsurgical testicular sperm extraction (TESE), that can help. Micro TESE is ideal when other attempts to harvest sperm for fertility purposes fail. Combined with assisted reproductive technology (ART), infertile men can start the path to parenthood.
Another chance with micro TESE
Micro TESE is an advanced surgical procedure to extract sperm from the testicles. The technique is ideal for men with non-obstructive azoospermia. In other words, there is no sperm present in the ejaculate. A surgeon performs the procedure by first placing the patient under general anesthesia. A small incision is made in the scrotum to expose the testicle. Using magnification, the surgeon will search for areas likely to contain sperm. Small tissue samples are removed and safely stored. The surgeon will then close the incision. An embryologist will examine each sample and extract any sperm that can be used for ART. Here are 3 reasons men should consider micro TESE.
1. Enjoy high success rates
Micro TESE allows doctors to locate tissue with a high potential for containing sperm. The procedure generally has a high success rate, especially for individuals with azoospermia. Once the embryologist locates sperm, the next step involves assisted reproduction. In vitro fertilization (IVF) allows the team to fertilize eggs from the female companion or donor eggs to create embryos. If this fails, the team can also perform intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which uses a single sperm to fertilize an egg. For men who need micro TESE, ICSI is an effective way to increase the chances of pregnancy.
2. The hope of a biological connection
The desire of many hopeful parents is not only to have a child but a genetic connection to the child. Conditions like azoospermia can prevent a biological link. Some fertility clinics recommend donor sperm that can increase the success rates of pregnancy using intrauterine insemination (IUI) or IVF. Micro TESE provides the extra hope that conceiving a child with a genetic link is possible. An absence of sperm in each sample does not mean the man is not producing sperm. The surgical procedure goes deeper to find the sperm cells needed to create embryos with a genetic link to the parent.
3. A minimally invasive option
Surgery is a concern due to the potential risks and complications. Micro TESE is a minimally invasive approach using a small incision. The surgery preserves tissue while only collecting the material needed to find viable sperm. Micro TESE also preserves hormonal function. The procedure typically takes 2-4 hours, and patients can usually return home the same day. There is also a short recovery of 5-7 days. The procedure has excellent benefits without the dangers of open surgery.
Micro TESE turns things around
Men with severe infertility challenges give up hope after months or even years of trying to conceive. Even strategies like hormone medication can fail to produce sufficient sperm. Micro TESE is an innovative approach to finding dormant sperm in the testes. This procedure is minimally invasive and has high success rates, opening the door for biological children. Work with the fertility team to determine if micro TESE can help with family planning.
