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A guide to sperm problems and the drugs used to treat them.
Did you know that the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) which is the pregnancy hormone, can also treat infertility problems in men? Just as a woman sometimes needs help to ovulate, men can also need help to produce sperm and it is the same group of hormones in both males and females which govern these functions. If you have a low sperm count relating to a hormone deficiency, or you are not producing any sperm at all, there are several drug therapies available. Clomid - a drug which induces the body to produce luteinizing hormone (LH) that tells the testicles to produce sperm. It also raises testosterone levels if these are low. It is taken in tablet form for up to six months. Human Menopausal Gonadotropin (HMG) and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) - when used together can be used to treat disorders in the pituitary gland in the brain. The brain fails to send messages to the testicles to make sperm and these hormones can kick start it into doing so. They are given in injection form for six months, up to three injections every week and you will have to learn how to self inject. Fertility drugs can also be given if your sperm have poor motility (ability to swim) and other sperm problems. Unfortunately, though, treating men with fertility hormones is not as effective or successful as treating women and there have been very few studies on potential side-effects for men, so you may want to take this into consideration before embarking on a hormone treatment. Side EffectsMen have been known to experience vision problems, weight gain and even liver damage when taking these drugs. In the case of human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG), there have been cases where men have developed breast swellings. Headaches are also common. Like women, you may experience depression or mood swings. Minor side-effects can be lessened if you take your medication with food. None of the medications should be used long term (a maximum duration of six months is usual) and if they haven't worked for you in that time, they probably aren't going to. Your doctor can suggest a different drug or alternative option depending on the medical diagnosis you have. What Are My Chances Of Success?Currently, of those men who had hormone treatment, 25% of them impregnanted their partners. Although this sounds reasonable, it is about the same figure for natural conception with a low sperm count, so there is little evidence that the drugs make a difference in men. It does depend on the nature of your infertility so it may be worth trying. If you are worried about or considering any drug therapy, please talk it over with your health care provider who can advise you of the pros and cons.
The copyright of the article Hormonal Fertility Treatments in Infertility is owned by Joanna Karpasea-Jones. Permission to republish Hormonal Fertility Treatments in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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