How Low Testosterone Can Affect Your Sperm Health

Low testosterone levels can have a serious effect on your sperm health. It’s important to understand why testosterone is so important for effective sperm production, and how you can keep your sperm healthy even if you have low testosterone. In this blog post, we will discuss the relationship between testosterone and sperm health, as well as the potential treatments available to ensure your sperm are in top condition.

What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone produced by the male body that helps stimulate reproductive organs including the testicles, prostate, and seminal vesicles. It is responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics such as facial hair growth, deepened voice, and increased muscle mass. Testosterone plays an important role in maintaining proper sperm production and fertility.

The Role of Testosterone in Sperm Health

Low testosterone levels can lead to decreased sperm count, poor motility (movement), lower quality DNA integrity, and reduced overall semen volume. These factors can all contribute to infertility or difficulty conceiving naturally. Low testosterone levels can also lead to erectile dysfunction or reduced libido which can further impact fertility issues.

Signs That Your Testosterone Levels May Be Too Low

Low testosterone levels can have a huge impact on your health. If you are concerned that your testosterone levels might be too low, read on to learn eight signs that may indicate a problem:

• Decreased Muscle Mass: Muscle mass is an indicator of healthy testosterone levels. If you find that you are losing muscle mass even though you are exercising regularly, it could be a sign that your testosterone levels are dropping.
• Fatigue: Testosterone plays a role in energy production in the body. If you tend to feel tired throughout the day or find yourself needing frequent naps, it could be due to low testosterone levels.
• Loss of Libido: Low testosterone can cause changes in libido, including difficulty getting aroused and decreased sexual desire.
• Decreased Bone Density: One benefit of healthy testosterone levels is increased bone density and strength in men over 30 years old; however, low T-levels can lead to weaker bones and an increased risk of fractures and other injuries.
• Hair Loss: Hair loss is another common symptom associated with lower-than-normal testosterone levels; however, this condition is often attributed to genetics rather than hormone imbalances – so hair loss does not always mean that there’s something wrong with your hormones!
• Irritability: If you’re feeling especially irritable lately, or if small things seem to bother you more than usual, it could be related to lower-than-normal T-levels. A blood test will help determine whether hormonal imbalance may be at play here.
• Difficulty Concentrating: If you find yourself having difficulty concentrating on tasks at work or school lately – or simply having trouble remembering things – then low T-levels may indeed be part of the problem!
• Mood Swings: Mood swings can sometimes occur when testosterone levels become too low. While they aren’t necessarily dangerous (as long as they don’t interfere with daily life), they can indicate an underlying hormonal imbalance that should be addressed, if possible, through lifestyle changes or medical intervention from Centers for Vasectomy Reversal specialists.

Male Fertility Testing Services

The Center for Vasectomy Reversal has many years of experience providing comprehensive male infertility testing services designed specifically to identify any issues related to low testosterone or other issues impacting sperm health that may be preventing conception naturally– contact us today to learn more!

Everything You Need to Know About Freezing your Sperm

Why do men freeze their sperm? There are, of course, sperm banks where men can donate sperm to childless couples. This sperm is frozen and kept until it’s needed, but that’s certainly not the only reason for freezing sperm. Men who have been diagnosed with cancer may bank their sperm if their treatment plan is likely to cause infertility. Similarly, men who are undergoing surgery or treatment that could impact their chances of conceiving a child might want to freeze their sperm, and so might men with hazardous jobs. Most commonly, though, couples decide to freeze sperm- and eggs- because they want to wait a little while to grow their families. If you fall into any of these categories, and are considering freezing your sperm, here’s what you need to know.

• Sperm-freezing, also known as semen cryopreservation, is simpler and less invasive than freezing eggs. In fact, while most samples are collected at the fertility clinic, there are home kits available for men who don’t feel comfortable in a clinical setting. Men with low sperm counts are encouraged to freeze a sample ahead of IVF, in case their fresh sample does not contain sperm when it’s time to perform the procedure.
• The cost of freezing sperm varies and is dependent on several different factors. The price includes the entire process, from collection through storage, and varies based on location, individual clinic, and insurance. Typically, it costs anywhere from $250 to $1,000. However, if you intend to store your sample for a long time, the storage costs can really add up. Then, too, there are medical shipping costs to move the sperm from the place where they’re stored to the place where they’ll be used. It’s smart to have a plan in place before you get started, and work with a fertility clinic.
• Some men are better candidates for sperm freezing than others. Healthy people can bank sperm. In fact, even children who have been diagnosed with cancer can bank sperm, for the sake of future fertility. Men who are undergoing chemotherapy should not bank their sperm, and men who have no sperm in their semen won’t be able to, either.
• A doctor has to make the request to bank your sperm. The choice to freeze sperm is a personal one, and one you’ll need to discuss with your doctor. Testing will be required, to screen for sexually transmitted diseases as well as assessing the sperm quality.
• Sperm freezing is low risk. There are no risks to the men themselves, but there is a risk that when the sample is frozen, it may not actually contain sperm. Freezing doesn’t damage sperm, and there’s no increased risk of birth defects for children conceived with frozen sperm. Sperm freezing has been done since 1953, and it’s a very effective method of preserving fertility.
• Men who want to hold off on fatherhood should bank their sperm. Men can father children late in life, so they don’t have the same biological urgency as women to conceive in a certain time frame. However, the risk of certain conditions, including autism, increases when a man passes age 50, so if he’s planning to conceive after that, it’s better to preserve the sperm in advance.
• Semen has no expiration date. Theoretically, sperm can be frozen forever, as long as it’s stored correctly. Sperm that has been frozen for 20 years has still been used to successfully conceive a child.
• Here’s how the process works. Before the appointment, you’ll be asked to abstain from sexual activity for two or three days. Once you get to the clinic, there’s paperwork and bloodwork, and then the sample is collected. Freshness impacts fertility, so it’s best to collect it at the clinic. Once the sample is in the cup, the sperm is analyzed for quantity, shape, and movement, to determine whether more samples are necessary. The sample is divided into different vials and frozen by an experienced lab technician trained to protect the sperm cells with cryoprotectant agents.

Many men freeze sperm before undergoing a vasectomy, but if that wasn’t the case for you, there’s still hope. At the Center for Vasectomy Reversal, we pride ourselves on helping men improve their fertility through uncompromising, concierge-level patient care. Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Green, our team provides state-of-the-art treatment for men who need a reversal of their vasectomy or have other fertility concerns. To learn more, contact us through our website or call 941-894-6428.