Is it me? Or could it be my partner?
Can we talk about male infertility? I have had so many women struggling for years with infertility and their partner is NEVER evaluated.
Of all infertility cases, 40-50% can be related to male infertility. But often times the male partner is never even worked up. Even after the woman has had (often extensive) labwork, ultrasounds, biopsies, been on medication, etc. Imagine putting your body through all that for months or years to find out that it never had anything to do with you.
While you certainly want to be sensitive to your partner about this topic, if you are struggling to get pregnant, you may want to have his health checked as well.
Anyone who has struggled with infertility knows how all-consuming it becomes.
Taking your temperature daily.
Tracking your cycle daily.
Peeing on strips to monitor for ovulation.
Counting down the days until it's time to take a test.
Buying, yet another, pregnancy test.
Feeling like there is a new pregnancy announcement every moment on Instagram or Facebook.
Your heart sinks seeing another gender reveal.
Yet- your partner has not even had a sperm sample evaluated?
Often times the reason for infertility is unknown, but we are learning that men also have biological clocks which can also be a reason for infertility as well.
When you are in the throes of infertility, it's hard to zoom out of your case and look at the whole picture. I work with people who want to preserve their fertility but also couples trying to determine the cause of infertility to make sure all options are explored and also what you can do to improve your fertility
