His National Infertility Awareness Week,
and according to the CDC,
20% of couples will experience
infertility problems and that
number continues to rise every year.
It's often considered
though a woman's problem,
but new focus is being put on men.
I take a closer look at
why this may be happening.
For many couples, starting a family
is an exciting time.
I wanted kids young,
but for Austin
and his wife Aubrey,
things didn't go as planned.
We started trying and trying and trying
a fertility test revealed Austin
had low sperm count and in vitro
fertilization was their only option.
We had our first embryo transfer and it
didn't work and it was heartbreaking.
And then our second transfer.
We had two embryos implanted
and one took our our daughter.
After nearly two years and two
rounds of IVF treatments, Austin and
Aubrey's daughter Larkin was born.
Mom Aubrey shared this picture
showing every shot it took to bring
their daughter into the world
and it was just amazing that the
science is actually come this far.
Austin isn't alone in his
struggle in the last 40 years.
Sperm counts and men have
dropped by nearly 60%,
according to a 2017 study by
Mount Sinai University alright
doctor Valerie Shavelle,
of fertility specialist with the
fertility Center in Grand Rapids,
is seeing the trend.
Definitely, we're seeing a lot
of sperm counts that are lower,
decreased motility.
I'm starting to send off more samples
to look at DNA fragmentation and so.
We're definitely seeing
more of it over the years.
Research shows about 30% of
infertility among couples is due to
low sperm count, right in her lab.
Doctor Chevelle shows us the evidence.
The left is a recent sample
with only a few sperm.
The right is a healthy sample
on the day we visited the lab,
the majority of samples had low sperm counts.
They don't want men to feel
like they're all alone in this
doctor. Shavelle says there are
many potential causes of low sperm
counts from stress to obesity.
Genetics, even our environment.
Definitely there is a role of the
toxins that are in our environment
and we know that there are certain
toxins that can cause DNA damage
in sperm. BPA, for example,
BPA is found in almost everything from
plastic food containers to carpeting,
shampoos and body lotions.
Even our bottled water.
So what can men do to
protect their fertility?
Eat a healthy diet,
exercise and lose weight.
It can help. It might not completely
reverse the damage that's done,
but sperm production start to
finish is about 70 days or so.
We can definitely see an impact
in changes, but it does take time
in addition to those.
Changes Doctor Shavelle recommends men
have their fertility checked early.
They could have a semen analysis done
to find out more about their fertility,
even if they're not ready to father a
child just to have that information.
And Austin agrees,
I would say probably as soon as
you turn 18 more than likely you
should go in and see if it's a
an option to even have them.
Austin and Aubrey are
already planning for baby #2.
Aubrey is preparing to go
through another round of.
The VF treatments,
it's hard. Emotionally, physically.
Without it though,
we wouldn't be where we're at.
I'm thankful that it's an option for us.
Fortunately, it's an option for many
men who are struggling with fertility.
And doctor Chavelle says one of the
biggest issues with male infertility
is that many men don't like the
process of sperm collection,
which is why there is now a whole
new market in at home kits that men
can use and send in for analysis.
And I've got a link to those
test kits on 13 on yourside.com.
Also, the fertility Center is offering
free semen analysis through the month of
May as part of Fertility Awareness Month.
Just be sure to mention that you
saw the story on 13 on your side.
Well, I just learned so much from this.