Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant ?

In today’s awesome male infertility article we are going to discuss whether and if…

“Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant?”

Hi and welcome to Dr Shahs Clinic

My name is Dr. Shah and I am a consultant sexologist doctor in Chennai and I primarily specialize in Male Infertility & Sexual Health.

In today’s awesome post we are going to answer the question on  – “Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant?”

Not let us move on to the good stuff….

Okay now here is the thing…

Male Infertility and Male Sterility are two completely different things!!

Bear this fact well in mind, let me try to elaborate on why male infertility and male sterility should not be confused with one another…

Now, a man is said to be infertile or suffer from infertility if he is unable to father a child within the 1st year of marriage in the absence of any specific problem affecting his partner. 

Some common causes of male infertility include –

  1. Low sperm count
  2. Low sperm motility
  3. Abnormal sperm shape
  4. Hormonal deficiencies
  5. Genetic causes
  6. Obesity and Poor Lifestyle habits
  7. Sexual Problems like erectile dysfunction and/or ejaculatory dysfunction

But the most important fact to bear in mind is that a man diagnosed with male infertility can have sperm production!

Most interestingly,  in over 40% of the time men suffering from male fertility issues have absolutely NORMAL SPERM PRODUCTION!!

can a sterile man get a women pregnant

Now, I am sure you understand one thing very well….male sterility is completely different from male infertility…

As a result, you need to really know whether or if you can get pregnant with a sterile man?. The truth, however, can be a bit hard to understand. First of all, what are the causes of male sterility?

Broadly speaking, a man is said to be completely sterile if his semen analysis report shows AZOOSPERMIA. Azoospermia means no sperm in the ejaculate! and it is a genuinely upsetting and terribly scary diagnosis for most men.

Vasectomy is also a common cause of male sterility. We will briefly look at both Azoospermia and Vasectomy.

Most probably, you would have heard about contraceptive procedures for men, this is called Vasectomy and it is also a method of family planning.

In Vasectomy what is ultimately done is that the vas (the tube that carries sperm from the testis to the penis) is closed. However, vasectomy although highly effective in preventing a pregnancy has poor reversal success rates.

This is exactly why we recommend vasectomy as a method of family planning, only after a man has completed his family!, Moreover, you would be surprised to learn that the success rate of a vasectomy reversal is seldom beyond 40%.

Now let’s discuss whether an Azoospermic man can father a child ? or better yet let’s try to answer the following question ..

Can a sterile man become fertile?

You most probably now understand that Azoospermic men are sterile, but…

did you know that Azoospermic men can also father their child? This is possible because we have a medical technique by the name Testicular sperm extraction also called TESE.

The image below explains TESE

Surgical sperm retrieval | Azoospermia | can a sterile man get a woman pregnant ?

Consequently, sperms retrieved from the testis are used in fertility treatments. Sperm preservation is done for later use.

So, let me ask you the question…

Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant?

The Answer is Hell YEAH!.

Both Male Infertility and Male Sterility are definitely treatable. However, bear in mind that the success rates for treating men with problems like low sperm count, low sperm motility and other unexplained causes of male infertility are definitely better as compared to male sterility based issues.

The best suggestions I can give is as follows

  1. Do not worry too much about male infertility, remember it is treatable
  2. Male sterility is a different issue altogether compared to male infertility
  3. If someone asks me can a sterile man get a woman pregnant ?, I would tell him that he needs a proper evaluation and that fertility is definitely possible with today’s technology
  4. Low sperm count and low sperm motility are not causes of male sterility. On the other hand, they are causes of male subfertility.
  5. Can a sterile man become fertile?…the answer is a definite YES. But male sterility needs the right evaluation.

 

What does it mean to be sterile for a man?

A diagnosis of male infertility can frequently break a man’s heart. Imagine, telling him he will never father a child through the natural route!. No man in the world can bear to hear a statement that he is sterile and he will never be able to father a child without a treatment.

A diagnosis of a male sterility breaks men both physically and mentally. Men may not be able to sustain a normal sexual life after a diagnosis of male sterility.

This scenario frequently occurs in a fertility center or fertility clinic when the male partner is diagnosed with Azoospermia. This happens simply because most fertility centers in India do not employ a full time qualified Andrologist to deal with the agony men face!.

A sad story right?

When Vasectomy reversal fails, men break down. Normally, a vasectomy reversal is done for those men who completed their family.

However, in some instances, they may want to try for a child especially when unforeseeable circumstances cause the death of a sibling. Most married men fill the void left by the death of a previous child by trying for a baby, some other couples though may just dissolve their marriage to avoid the pain of seeing each other…

So, to finally conclude…

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on “Can a sterile man get a woman pregnant?”. Now that you know the truly scientific answer to this question, the next time someone blames a loved one for fertility issues YOU know you can give a fitting reply!.

This is Dr. Shah, your friendly neighborhood Consultant in Male Infertility & Sexual Health.

If you have more doubts, just take a minute to fill the form and get in touch with me below!

Cheers and here is big thumbs up to you and your awesome married life!!

References –

  1. American Society Of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
  2. Andrology Australia

Get in touch with us below

Dr Shahs Clinic for Male Infertility & Sexual Health
No 21, Bazullah Road, T-nagar, Chennai 600017
Ph No: 9790783856

 

 

 

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