Medications for Male Infertility
Infertility is a common problem, and struggling to get pregnant can put a lot of stress on a relationship. According to the Department of Health and Human Services out of 100 male-female couples, 12-13 will have trouble conceiving. Infertility is often multi-factorial and 1/3 of the time directly related to the male partner. In this post, we will discuss one method for boosting male fertility.
Assuming the male has normal sperm morphology and motility, there are ways to boost the quantity with medications. Without sperm to fertilize the egg in a female, there is no pregnancy. It is easy to see how hormone deficiency can be related to infertility since the testicles have 2 main functions. The first is to make Testosterone, the second is to make sperm. If the right hormonal signals are not getting to the testicles then both can be affected. However, testosterone supplementation with pellets, injections, or creams will not boost your sperm counts. If fact studies have shown the opposite effect but there are medications that can boost both your testosterone level and sperm counts simultaneously and that is what we are going to focus on.
First is Clomiphene. Clomiphene is a pill that works by blocking the receptors in your brain that sense the level of Estrogen and Testosterone present in your blood. If those receptors are blocked then the Brain thinks that the levels in the blood are low and thus signals your Testicles to increase production. The signal comes in the form of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). HCG is composed of two different hormones Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). These two hormones signal the Testicles to start working and thus increase levels of sperm and Testosterone. Dosing of Clomiphene can vary.
The second is HCG. HCG is an injection that is given to stimulate the testicles directly. Commercially available HCG injections are primarily LH thus primarily work by increasing your body’s testosterone level. They can help with sperm production as well because they do have some FSH in them. The dosing schedule for HCG is variable.
Finally, there are Menotropins or Human Menopausal Gonadotropin (HMG). This is very similar to HCG but the difference is that HMG is composed of mostly FSH, thus stimulating sperm production. Menotropins are also given in injection form and the dosing schedule can vary.
At Apex Men’s Health Clinic all of these medications can be prescribed. If you are struggling with male infertility come in an speak with a provider and see if maybe one or a combination of these medications can be of benefit.
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