Around 84% of couples are able to conceive (get pregnant) in a natural way within about a year or regular (every 2 or 3 days) unprotected sex, with around 1 in 7 couples having difficulty conceiving.
Infertility is defined by a couple who, despite having regular unprotected sex, cannot conceive on their own within about a year.
In some cases, there are couples who have been trying to conceive for over three years with no success. At this point, the chances of getting pregnant in the following year are around 1 in 4, sometimes even less.
So, how can a man check if he is fertile?
Signs of infertility in men
Symptoms for infertility in men can actually be quite vague. In fact infertility in men can often go unnoticed until they try to have a baby. The symptoms will depend on what is causing infertility.
Some symptoms can include:
- Changes in hair growth
- Changes in sexual desire
- Pain, lump, or swelling in the testicles
- Problems with erections and ejaculation
- Small, firm testicles
How can I test my fertility at home?
Many people experience infertility and it is estimated to affect about 186 million people and about 46 million couples according to the World Health Organisation.
Infertility can be a complicated issue and could be linked to many different problems. One of the main issues that commonly affect a man's fertility is the quantity and the quality of their semen. This means that testing your semen should be one of the first things you do if you suspect you are having problems with your fertility as a man.
Semen testing usually takes place in a clinal laboratory. Luckily for everyone, constant advancements mean that at-home testing kits have been thoroughly developed and have become much more accessible.
These at-home testing kits are accessible by either ordering one online or by buying them over the counter.
The kits are simple to use and only require a small amount of semen. The semen will be tested for sperm morphology, motility and count.
The convenience of at-home testing kits is amazing but you should be aware that the results may not be quite as accurate as regular lab test results. This involved Welzo and their NFC technology.
Despite this many people are choosing to use at-home test kits for at least beginning their journey of discovering what fertility problems they may have. It is certainly a good idea to follow up on your at-home test with an appointment with a medical professional if you feel that it is necessary.
A great choice for an at-home testing kit is the Instant Male Fertility Test which you can find at officialrapidtests.com. Although testing can be more accurate in a medical setting this at-home test is easy to use with fast results and an accuracy rating of 98.2%.
How can we help?
We can offer you an at-home sperm testing kit to simplify the whole process. Simply order it online.
£14.99
The Instant Male Fertility at-home test can detect the sperm concentration in human semen within 5 minutes with 98.2% accuracy.
What comes in the box?
- Collection Cup
- Dilution Buffer
- Test Cassette
- Transfer Device
How does it work?
- Order your Instant Male Fertility Test
Fill in your details and order your test kit online with Free standard delivery.
- Take the test at home in minutes
Follow the instructions on how to perform the non-invasive swab test.
- Receive your result fast - no lab waiting times!
Save the hassle of sending your tests back to a lab.
What are the causes of male infertility?
Many factors may affect a man's fertility such as:
- Age – fertility decreases with age
- Weight – Being obese or overweight (if you have a BMI of 30 or over) can reduce fertility.
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – some STIs can affect fertility such as chlamydia.
- Smoking – Smoking can definitely affect fertility. This includes passive smoking. It can reduce semen quality and it can affect the chances of conceiving.
- Alcohol – If you are drinking too much alcohol then that can also affect the quality of sperm (the chief medical officers for the UK recommend adults should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which should be spread evenly over 3 days or more)
- Environmental factors – Being exposed to some solvents, metals and pesticides has been shown to affect people's fertility this is especially true for men.
- Stress – If you have a lot of stress in your life not only could this affect your relationship with your partner and potentially lower your sex drive, but it could also affect sperm production and ovulation.
- There is no evidence that proves that drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, tea and cola are connected to fertility problems.
Most commonly the cause of infertility for men is some sort of problem with sperm such as:
- Low sperm count, which means you have too few or no sperm in your semen.
- Your sperm don't move as well as they should, which is called low sperm motility.
- You have abnormally formed sperm.
- Your sperm ducts are blocked.
- Another common problem is a temporary drop in the amount of sperm you make. This might happen when your testicles get injured. For instance, it could be that your testicles were too hot for too long. Or it might be you were in contact with chemicals or took drugs that affect the way you make sperm
Low sperm count can affect fertility, this makes it important to understand what factors can cause this so that you can find treatments and/or solutions for it.
There are a few things that can be part of the cause of a low sperm count such as:
- Varicocele: This is a condition in which the veins of the scrotum become enlarged, and this can lead to a decrease in sperm production. In fact, this is a common cause of male infertility and can be found in 35% of men with primary infertility and 75% of men with secondary infertility.
- Hormonal imbalances: Hormonal imbalances can cause infertility in men. Hormone imbalance alludes to things including testosterone imbalance which can affect sperm production.
- Lifestyle factors: Things like smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, diet, using drugs, being obese and many more can be lifestyle factors that can greatly affect male fertility.
- Genetic factors: There are some genetic factors that can affect fertility and you should be clear on that. One of these conditions Klinefelter syndrome is only one condition that can lead to infertility.
- Infections: Any kind of infection that affects your reproductive system can definitely affect your fertility.
- Medication: Some medications that you may be prescribed can also affect your fertility. Medications such as chemotherapy drugs can have this effect.
- Age: The quantity and quality of a man's sperm may decrease as he gets older and can contribute to problems with infertility.
What are the advantages of using Medical Laboratory Management Software?
Our at-home tests use Medical laboratory management software (LIMS). Laboratories are struggling with the huge volume of tests that they are expected to do very quickly. Digital health services like LIMS have more modern methods.
An online platform, LIMS is used by health providers as it can get more accurate results faster. This software is particularly advantageous because of the following:
- Quick Response
- Eliminate Errors
- Saves a lot of Time
- Lower Expenses
- Doesn't need repetition
- Integration
- Manage Inventory and Supplies
- Reports are directly distributed among patients
- Keep your data private
- Transparency in Billing
