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Some men find that they can get an erection, but they are unable to ejaculate. This is an uncommon problem, and is often not diagnosed correctly. Most of these men can be helped by teaching them to use a vibrator in order to ejaculate. A vibrator is a simple device, which is easily available at most chemists' shops, and is often called a body massager. The surface of this vibrates rapidly, and it is used to provide prolonged mechanical stimulation to the frenulum of the penis, until ejaculation occurs.
Men with spinal cord problems who cannot ejaculate can now be helped to father a pregnancy with the help of a new technique called electroejaculation. A probe is inserted into the man's rectum (under general anesthesia) and electrical stimulation delivered to the prostate in a gradually increasing fashion to induce an ejaculation. The man usually attains an erection and ejaculates in about five minutes. The recovered sperm can then be used for IUI, IVF or ICSI, depending upon their quality (which is usually poor).
If the man has a low sperm count, since so little can be done with conventional therapy to improve the sperm count, today we usually offer them one of the assisted reproductive technologies. This might seem unfair, since the wife is being treated for what is essentially the husband's problem, but the fact of the matter is that there is very little effective therapy for a low sperm count. Since the fertility of the couple is the sum of the fertility potential of both the partners, a male factor problem can often be treated by treating the wife!
Conventional treatment of male infertility has poor success rates and leaves a lot to be desired. However, the availability of assisted reproductive technology in recent times has revolutionised our approach to male infertility, and using techniques such as IVF and ICSI, most men can be helped to have their own babies. This is a rapidly developing area, and the spectacular advances which have occurred in recent times are described in the chapters to follow.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
