Breaking taboo!

Male infertility: breaking taboo!

MAN, since the dawn of time, he has been characterized by plenty of adjectives: Strong, Invincible, Combative, Courageous, Valiant, Determined, Daring, Intrepid… the list is long!

MAN, why is it so complicated for this superhero to talk about male infertility?

A quite challenging question that may raise several questions. In a society that wishes to be egalitarian and in which feminist movements are getting more and more importance, how is it that male infertility remains taboo? Through this article, I will be sharing some of the issues that I have realized during my professional and personal life:

Infertility is not just female!

We tend to mistakenly think that infertility is a female matter. Indeed, it is on the woman’s body that the embryo is created and will be growing up. It is true that when a couple is having difficulties in conceiving a child, we will first start doing various examinations and analysis to the woman. However, many scientific studies have been able to demonstrate that the origin of infertility is 50% from male factors and 50% from female factors. We have to keep in mind that an embryo is the union of an egg and a spermatozoon, each of those two gametes play a crucial role in the development of the future child. To know the quality of the sperm is essential for the succeed of the fertility treatment. Both couples and specialist should pay attention carefully to semen analysis results.

Virility threat?

When a man is going through troubles to procreate, a ton of emotions can emerge, it is completely legitimate. The announcement of an infertility diagnosis is never easy to accept. The man can feel his virility decreasing, the feeling of helplessness is also often noticed. Some patients explain that since the announcement of their infertility, sex life has been substantially affected. However, it must be very well understood that the concept of male infertility is completely dissociated from the concept of virility or sexual proficiency. It has absolutely nothing to do!

Accept to need medical help

Yes, MAN, this superhero is not invincible, sometimes he must need external help. In case of infertility issue, first the patient can be recommended to improve his lifestyle (healthy diet, sport activity, less stress, decrease of tabaco or alcohol consumption…) After that, medicine has some solutions: drug treatment, In Vitro Fertilization technique, or sperm donation for instance. Pushing the door of a fertility clinic is never easy, whether for the woman or the man. You just must accept that you need a helping hand from medical professionals. Why when we break an arm, we do not feel ashamed to go to the emergency room, get an X-ray, put on a cast, and keep it for several weeks? Therefore, why should one be ashamed to consult a reproductive biology professional? Lastly, nowadays, we can be blessed to have advanced medicine at our disposal. Male infertility solutions do exist!

Through this blog, as a woman working in the field of reproductive biology, my message is on one hand to raise the awareness about this fascinating subject. Male infertility is a reality, it is important to diagnose it as soon as possible. Advanced semen analysis result is a valuable tool. Detecting male infertility factor has undeniable advantages: to avoid unnecessary and invasive treatments for the woman, to reduce the couple’s care time during the IVF journey, to decrease the cost of IVF treatments…

On the other hand, I think we must stop seeing a man as a superhero. A man has the right to let go his emotions: anxiety, state of shock, denial, sadness, guilt, shame, jealousy, anger, fear… I even want to say a man must externalize them. Talking about infertility is a first step about accepting it and understanding better the following steps of this crazy journey. Man’s pain should not be overlooked.

Finally, I would like to invite you, as readers of this article to think about any other factors that can explain this persistent male infertility taboo and how as a society, we can together get rid of it.

Elsa Delacroix
Export Manager
MICROPTIC S.L.