MIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — The number of couples seeking fertility treatments in the US has increased 33 percent over the past five years. It’s a fact that fertility decreases sharply for women between the ages of 35 and 40. At age 30, there’s a one in five chance of getting pregnant per cycle. By age 40, it drops to one in 20. But fertility issues are not just a woman’s problem. In fact, the older the man is when fathering a child, the harder it is to conceive and to have a healthy baby. Male Infertility
Saul Alvarez never thought he’d live to see this day. He says, “I was told I was never gonna be able to have kids.”
It was a long hard road to get here. Saul lost his first child, a little girl, and her mother, in a drunk driving accident. Then Saul was diagnosed with cancer — twice. While still battling cancer, Saul fell in love, got married and started thinking about having another child. But chemo was a problem …
“My sperm count went from being healthy to being completely at zero, that was a big shock for me.” explains Saul.
Another issue, Saul’s age. He was in his mid-50s. Male Infertility Specialist Ranjith Ramasamy says that after age 40 — a man’s sperm begins to mutate.
Doctor Ramasamy explains, “The number of mutations in sperm continue to accumulate that are more genetic changes that you know the body doesn’t correct anymore.”
The most common conditions associated with advanced paternal age are neuropsychiatric disorders. There is also an increased risk for leukemia and lymphomas. A 2021 study found that when a male in a couple was over forty, there were 20 to 40 percent more miscarriages. Doctor Ramasamy used medications used in women to boost egg counts to boost hormones in the pituitary glands and testosterone levels in Saul. After a year and a half of fertility treatments …
Saul says, “This is our son, Alexander Rama Alvarez.”
Alexanders middle name — Rama, in honor of the doctor who helped make Saul’s dream of becoming a father again — a reality.
Saul is now in full remission from his cancer and is not ruling out the possibility of adding to his family. Doctor Ramasamy says it’s just as important for men as it is for women to think about fertility preservation in their 20s. Frozen sperm is good for up to 15 years after its initially frozen and the recovery rates for a sperm after being frozen is up to 95 percent.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor, Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3253726/
MALE INFERTILITY TIME BOMBS: MAKING SAUL A DAD AGAIN!
REPORT #3173
BACKGROUND: Infertility is defined as not being able to conceive after one year of unprotected sex. It is estimated in the United States, about one in five married women aged 15 to 49, with no prior births, are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. Infertility in women is known to increase with age, usually in women aged 35 years or older. Other risk factors are smoking; excessive alcohol use; extreme weight gain or loss; and excessive physical or emotional stress. Some signs and symptoms in women that can indicate infertility are irregular menstrual periods or no periods; endometriosis; a history of pelvic inflammatory disease; known or suspected uterine or tubal disease; a history of more than one miscarriage; and chemotherapy or radiation.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/features/what-is-infertility/index.html)
MALE INFERTILITY: Male infertility is when a man is not able to get his partner pregnant and is considered a disease of the reproductive system. The most common problem in male infertility is the inability to make healthy sperm. The reason for this could include infections or inflammatory conditions; hormone or pituitary gland problems; immune problems in which you make antibodies against your own sperm; environmental and lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, heavy alcohol use, use of marijuana or steroids, or exposure to toxins; and genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or hemochromatosis. Sometimes, men can have a hormone disorder where the imbalance affects how sperm develop. There can also be an issue in how the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and testes interact. There are treatments for men that could help with infertility like artificial insemination; IVF, GIFT, and other techniques; and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
(Source: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/male-infertility)
BREAKTHROUGH IN GENETIC CAUSE OF MALE INFERTILITY: Newcastle University researchers have uncovered the genetic cause of male infertility by looking at how sperm cells are affected by certain mutations, particularly in DNA replication mechanisms that ensure healthy offspring. The researchers studied infertile men and identified 29 of 145 rare mutations in genes that affect the reproductive processes. A mutated gene, known as RBM5, was of interest for being present in several participants. Further studies also suggested that pre-mRNA, an unmutated version of the RBM5, also played a role in the division of male germ cells. Results suggest that it is possible for a number of these children to inherit infertility from their fathers. This means that men with mutations from their fathers have a 50 percent chance of passing down their infertility to their sons. The finding of this genetic cause is one more positive step in the battle against male infertility.
* For More Information on Male Infertility, Visit:
Urology Care Foundation
https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/m/male-infertility
Free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
