Overcoming Male Infertility

Anthony J. Thomas, Leslie R. Schover

Description

Hope and strategies for couples dealing with male infertility If you or your partner is suffering from male infertility, you're not alone. Millions of couples are struggling with this problem. About 40% of these couples have exclusively male infertility problems, while another 20% have both male and female infertility problems. Now, two leading experts, a urologist specializing in male infertility and a psychologist, team up to write the most complete guide available on male infertility. From the latest, state-of-the-art treatments to advice on how to handle the emotional aspects of male infertility, you'll find out where to get the help you need. Overcoming Male Infertility also covers the psychological issues that are unique to men, and gives advice to women on helping their man through the trauma of infertility treatment--including how to get him to see a doctor in the first place.
CONFRONTING MALE INFERTILITY.

Male Infertility: Bumping Into the Iceberg.

Getting Started with a Male Infertility Workup.

They Want Me to Go Into a Little Room and Do What?

Your Baby-Making Machinery: An Owner's Manual.

The Semen Analysis and Other Diagnostic Tests for Male Infertility.

Starting the Production Line: Sex and Fertility.

UNDERSTANDING MALE INFERTILITY: CAUSES AND TREATMENTS.

Holes in Our Genes: Inherited Causes of Infertility.

Developmental Problems That Cause Infertility.

Germs and Germ Cells: Infections and Infertility.

The Boulder on the Path: Obstructive Infertility.

Is It My Hormones?

Varicoceles: How Important Are They?

The Dry Ejaculation: Not a New Sexual Technique.

Adding Insult to Injury: Infertility after Cancer Treatment.

Does Lifestyle Contribute to Male Infertility?

Using Assisted Reproductive Technology to Treat Male Infertility.

Having a Child through Donor Insemination.

COPING WITH MALE INFERTILITY.

The Pursuit of Paternity.

The Female Side of Male Infertility.

Coping with Infertility as a Team.

Healing Your Sex Life after Male Infertility.

The Spiritual and Ethical Side of Infertility.

Robbing Paul to Pay Peter: The Economics of Male Infertility.

Choosing to Adopt a Child.

Living without Children.

Concluding Thoughts.

Glossary.

Resources.

Chapter Sources.

Index.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Fitness
• Health
• Infertility
• Fertility

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470350805
• Langue: English

Extrait

OVERCOMING MALE INFERTILITY
OVERCOMING MALE INFERTILITY
Leslie R. Schover, Ph.D., and Anthony J. Thomas Jr., M.D.
This book is printed on acid-free paper. @
Copyright 2000 by Leslie R. Schover and Anthony J. Thomas Jr.
All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, [phone], fax [phone], e-Mail: [e-mail].
The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader s discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schover, Leslie R.
Overcoming male infertility / Leslie R. Schover and Anthony J. Thomas
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-471-24471-6 (paper : alk. paper)
1. Infertility, Male-Popular works. I. Thomas, Anthony J. II. Title.
RC889.S375 2000
616.6 92-dc21
99-051353
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE: CONFRONTING MALE INFERTILITY
1. Male Infertility: Bumping into the Iceberg
How Common Is Male Infertility?
The Stigma of Male Infertility
Treatments That Offer New Hope
2. Getting Started with a Male Infertility Workup
Finding a Male Infertility Specialist
What to Expect on the First Visit
Taking a History
The Physical Examination
Communication with Your Specialist
The Semen Analysis
3. They Want Me to Go into a Little Room and Do What?
Planning Ahead: When Was Your Last Orgasm?
Home Delivery
I Gave at the Office!
Collecting through Intercourse
What If You Do Not Ejaculate Semen?
4. Your Baby-Making Machinery: An Owner s Manual
The Basic Equipment
The Testicles
Sperm Cell Production
The Sperm Matures
What Is Semen?
The Brain s Control System
How Many Sperm Cells Do You Need?
What Is Motility?
The Marathon Swim for the Egg
Fertilization: When Boy Meets Girl
Do Sperm Cells Compete?
What Is the Chance of a Pregnancy?
5. The Semen Analysis and Other Diagnostic Tests for Male Infertility
Checking Out the Laboratory
The Semen Analysis
Testing for Signs of Infection or Inflammation
Diagnostic Alphabet Soup
Other Tests of Sperm Function
Hormone Tests
Getting Images of Your Reproductive System
Testicular Biopsies: Ouch! Are They as Bad as They Sound?
6. Starting the Production Line: Sex and Fertility
What Causes Sexual Desire?
How Erections Happen
The Male Orgasm: It s More Complicated Than It Feels
What If a Man Can t Climax during Intercourse?
Can You Speed or Slow Your Sperm Cells?
Timing Intercourse to Maximize Conception
Keeping Sperm Cells Fresh
When Intercourse Is Just Not Enough
PART TWO: UNDERSTANDING MALE INFERTILITY: CAUSES AND TREATMENTS
7. Holes in Our Genes: Inherited Causes of Infertility
Do You Have an Extra X?
Do You Have an Extra Y?
Is Your Y Missing Something?
Translocations: When Genes Get Confused
Congenital Bilateral Absence of the Vas Deferens (CBAVD)
Other Genetic Causes of Male Infertility
Who Should Consider Having Genetic Counseling?
What Is Genetic Counseling?
Genetic Tests for Men with Infertility
The Karyotype
Microdeletions of the Y Chromosome
Testing for the Cystic Fibrosis Gene
Prenatal Diagnostic Testing
Ultrasonography
The Triple Screen
Amniocentesis
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS)
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Who Uses Prenatal Diagnosis?
The Health of Children Born from IVF-ICSI
8. Developmental Problems That Cause Infertility
When the Testicles Do Not Descend into the Scrotum (Cryptorchidism)
When the Urinary Opening Is Not at the Tip of the Penis
Problems Restricting the Flow of Semen
Problems with the Foreskin
9. Germs and Germ Cells: Infections and Infertility
Mumps Orchitis: A Blast of the Past
Tuberculosis: A Scourge of the Past Reemerges
HIV-Positive: Can a Man Safely Father a Child?
STDs: Just Sexually Transmitted Diseases or Sperm-Terminating Diseases?
What Do White Cells in the Semen Mean?
What If You See Blood in Your Semen?
Antisperm Antibodies: When the Body s Defenses Cause Infertility
Antisperm Antibody Testing
Treating Infertility Associated with Antisperm Antibodies
10. The Boulder on the Path: Obstructive Infertility
Roadblocks to Sperm Transport
Shooting Blanks: Semen without Sperm Cells
How Does Your Doctor Find an Obstruction?
Surgery to Repair Obstructions
Through the Looking Glass: The Incredible World of Microsurgery
How to Find the Best Surgeon for Male Infertility
Microsurgery to Repair a Vasectomy or Correct a Blockage
How Successful Is Vasectomy Reversal?
Nonsurgical Options for Obstruction
11. Is It My Hormones?
When the Captain Is Asleep at the Helm
When the First Mate Does Not Follow Orders
When the Crew Can t Respond to Orders
When FSH Is High, but Sperm Production Is Low
Treating Low Testosterone
Other Important Members of the Crew
Hormones and Your Weight
Prescription Medicines That Can Affect Hormones
Is Clomiphene Ever Useful?
Other Hormonal Therapies
12. Varicoceles: How Important Are They?
Why Do Varicoceles Form?
How Do Varicoceles Affect Fertility?
When Should a Varicocele Be Treated?
How Are Varicoceles Treated?
When Will You See Results?
13. The Dry Ejaculation: Not a New Sexual Technique
What Happens during a Dry Ejaculation?
What Causes Retrograde Ejaculation?
What Causes Complete Paralysis of the Sympathetic Nerves?
Medications That Sometimes Restore Ejaculation
Vibrators Are Not Just for Fun
Using Electricity to Ejaculate
Retrieving Sperm Cells from a Man s Urine
Surgical Sperm Aspiration
14. Adding Insult to Injury: Infertility after Cancer Treatment
Does the Cancer Itself Cause Infertility?
Why Cancer Treatment Causes Infertility
The Impact of Radiation
The Impact of Chemotherapy on Men s Fertility
Fertility after Bone Marrow Transplant
When Cancer Surgery Removes Part of the Reproductive System
Avoiding Infertility after Testicular Cancer
The Health of Children Born after a Man s Exposure to Radiation or Chemotherapy
The Importance of Banking Sperm before Cancer Treatment
15. Does Lifestyle Contribute to Male Infertility?
Dr. Thomas s Healthy-Sperm Diet
Does Physical Fitness Lead to Reproductive Fitness?
The Boxer Shorts versus Briefs Controversy
Hot Tubs Are Not So Hot for Sperm!
Smoking Is Not Good for Sperm (or Any Other Part of Your Body)
Alcohol and Male Fertility
Do I Have to Give Up Coffee, Too?
Recreational Drugs and Male Fertility
Using Anabolic Steroids for Athletics
Prescription Drugs and Male Infertility
Emotional Stress and Infertility
Physical Stress
Can Your Job Make You Infertile?
Pollutants in the Environment and Male Fertility
Getting Healthy
16. Using Assisted Reproductive Technology to Treat Male Infertility
Preparing Sperm for ART
Separating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Cryopreserving Sperm Cells
Intrauterine Insemination
In Vitro Fertilization
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
Getting the Sperm for IVF-ICSI from the Epididymis or a Testicle
Other ART Methods
Finding an ART Program You Can Trust
Religious Issues and ART
The Health of Children Born from ART
Riding the Emotional Roller Coaster of ART
How Stressful Is ART?
Does Stress Interfere with ART Pregnancy?
Coping with Stress during an ART Cycle
Coping with ART Failure
Coping with the Risk of Multiple Births
Making Choices about Freezing Embryos
17. Having a Child through Donor Insemination
Emotional Reactions to Donor Insemination
The Process of Making a Choice
Donor Insemination in the United States: Past and Present
Finding a High-Quality Sperm Bank
Finding Sperm Donors on the Internet
Do Sperm Donors Tell the Truth?
How Much Can We Find Out about the Donor?
Sperm Donation and the Perfect Baby
Donor Insemination around the World
Donor Insemination versus IVF-ICSI
Donor Insemination versus Adoption
Men s and Women s Views on Donor Insemination
Would You Be Able to Love the Child?
Views of Major Religions about Donor Insemination
Should You Consider a Friend or a Family Member as Donor?
To Tell or Not to Tell?
When and How to Tell a Child
Making a Balanced Decision
PART THREE: COPING WITH MALE INFERTILITY
18. The Pursuit of Paternity
Ideas from Evolutionary Biology
Women Should Make Smart Choices
Are Men Programmed to Sow Wild Oats?
Paternity: The Prize in the War of the Sexes
A Sociobiological View of Male Infertility
An Ethical or Spiritual Perspective: Biology Is Not Destiny
Special Issues for Men in Coping with Infertility
19. The Female Side of Male Infertility
Gender and Emotional Coping Styles
Bridging the Gender Gap
Does He Want a Baby as Much as You Do?
How Can You Get Him to Go to the Doctor?
Getting Your Man to Wear His Heart on His Sleeve
Finding Emotional Support without Violating His Privacy
Why Can t a Man