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PATHWAY TO A CHILD
A woman’s fertility falls significantly from the age of 35, and virtually disappears by the age of 45. Fertility treatments such as IVF can’t overcome the effect of a woman’s age – only using someone else’s eggs (donor eggs) can do that. Up to the age of 50, a man’s age does not seem to affect the success of fertility treatment.
Importance of age, page 26
Nearly every man will need to do a semen analysis as part of fertility diagnosis. A test for DNA fragmentation in sperm is also becoming common.
Semen tests, page 40
Have a look at our Fertility Fact sheet on Male infertility and semen tests on our website or on www.fertilityfacts.co.nz
Sadly a lost cause for most men. BUT we wish we got a dollar every time a man says ‘wish I’d done that sooner’.
The box at the bottom of page 35 has practical tips for partners, and so does the box on page 43.
Fertility treatment can be an emotional roller coaster, and men and women often react differently. Guess who wants to talk and who prefers to bury themselves in work, retreat to the ‘man cave’ or something similar.
There is increasing evidence that men smoking, being overweight, and/or not having enough antioxidants in their diet can reduce the pregnancy rate in IVF and probably other treatments too. Lots of men are now taking Menevit which contains a combination of antioxidants.
Read the 6 ‘tips for him’ on page 31.
Counselling, page 36
Emotional support, page 34
Lifestyle, page 31
Basically, there are four types of treatment: wait for nature, use a fertility pill called clomiphene or letrozole, intra-uterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). IUI has the option of using donor sperm (DS). IVF also gives the options of using donor sperm, donor egg, or surrogacy (donor uterus).
Types of treatment, page 20
Calculate your chances of a baby now and in a couple of years time using the biological clock on the FA website, or on www.biologicalclock.co.nz
Just look up the table on page 16 to see what’s what
Crib sheet*
Hormones and medications, page 16
Subject and where to find it in this magazine
Guys, thank you for your attention! When we piloted this magazine we found 70% of men didn’t read any of our patient information. Their partners said they were a great support, but obviously not when it came to being well informed. While this section is not a substitute for the full monty*, we hope it will provide some useful shortcuts.
Essentials for men
