If you have cause to question your fertility you aren’t alone. About 6.1 million women in the U.S. have issues getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the CDC. When a woman, or couple, experience difficulties in achieving pregnancy, they often turn to fertility testing in search of a cause.
There are numerous tests you can take to determine your fertility. Women can find out answers as to their failed attempts at pregnancy through ovulation testing, genetic screening, and minimally invasive procedures as well. Men can have their semen analyzed, for volume, count, motility, and normal appearance. There is also a relatively new process for examining male fertility by testing the DNA of sperm.
At LA-IVF we offer the latest in cutting-edge fertility treatments, and testing. Our team, led by Dr. Aykut Bayrak, strives to educate couples and individuals regarding their fertility, while providing the latest in testing, and solutions, including IVF treatment. Sperm DNA testing is often essential in finding out the whys of infertility, so that we can move forward with treatment.
Why Test Sperm’s DNA?
The traditional sperm sample, or seminal analysis, can only test for the basic viability of sperm, leaving many couples with so-called “unexplained infertility”. As reported by the National Institutes of Health the male bears nearly 50% responsibility for infertility. By examining sperm a little further it allows physicians to determine if the cause of a couples infertility is actually the quality of the sperm itself.
Sperm DNA contains the genetic material you, as the father, contribute to the creation of your child. Your mother’s eyes, your brother’s temperament and so on, are passed on through generations. The sperm’s DNA can be damaged while being produced, or stored, causing it to break down and fragment. Once the structure is damaged, the sperm isn’t able to fertilize properly, which can result in infertility, or loss of pregnancy, through miscarriage.
Improving the Outcome
Even healthy sperm should be expected to have some degree of DNA degradation and fragmentation. Certain lifestyle practices can contribute to the damage of sperm’s DNA. The only real way to know if sperm DNA is contributing to infertility is through sperm DNA testing, a non-invasive process.
Once the father has sperm DNA testing some questions may be answered. If it is determined there are abnormalities in the sperm’s DNA which are contributing to a couple’s infertility, it is possible to correct the quality of sperm’s DNA. As mentioned earlier, very often, the root cause of damage to the DNA in sperm is connected to lifestyle. Heavy alcohol use, smoking, and recreational drug use, like marijuana can cause damage to your sperm’s DNA.
The good news is men make new sperm about every 3 months, and taking steps to clean up your lifestyle will increase your chances for the “newbies” to be made without the fragmentations and damaged DNA. This will improve your fertility and your odds of achieving pregnancy.
If your sperm DNA test shows evidence of damage, and your lifestyle doesn’t seem have a reasonable bearing on the results, Dr. Bayrak will help you find out the cause. Once the cause is determined and steps are taken to remedy the damage to your sperm’s DNA, you can begin treatment to become pregnant.
Medicine is Moving Forward
Infertility is present in roughly 10% of couples in this country. As medical technology moves forward we’re finding more and more ways to help couples achieve their dream of starting a family. If you are interested in learning more about sperm DNA testing, or any other tests, contact LA IVF and schedule a consultation today. There are solutions, and together we’ll find them.