Male factor accounts for approximately half of all cases of infertility. Despite this, infertility is still often considered a women's health issue.
That's why television personality and former football player Colton Underwood participated on a panel at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas to discuss his own experience with male infertility. He stressed the importance of reducing the stigma of male infertility and involving men more in the family-building process.
“When my husband and I began our fertility journey, I found myself surprised when we walked into a fertility clinic and after collecting samples…my doctor [said to me]”Well, you've got four guys dead, but I can make them work.” … It was a bit of a shock to me because I consider myself a healthy male and it never occurred to me that I wouldn't have functioning sperm, and it caught me off guard. After talking to my family and some friends, I discovered how common this actually is,” he said.
Several factors contributed to Underwood's fertility challenges, which he was not aware of until he began his family-building journey, such as frequent use of hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, wearing tight spandex clothing when exercising, and undergoing testosterone replacement therapy.
After changing these habits and taking medication, his sperm health improved. He and his husband now have a one-year-old son.
Underwood isn't the only one dealing with male infertility. This is a situation that Josh Halpern, chief scientific officer of Posterity Health, and Asima Ahmad, co-founder and chief medical officer of Carrot Fertility, often encounter in their work at home construction companies. Halpern noted that many men struggle after discovering this information.
“There's a lot of stigma and shame. There's a lot of people who feel responsible and we don't like to think of fertility as a blame game, but a lot of people, whether you're competitive or have a different phenotype, have a really hard time accepting that,” he told the panel. “I think part of our job as fertility specialists … is actually to engage men and help them understand [that] This is really common. “
Panelists also emphasized the importance of routine fertility testing for men, as well as increasing home testing options to make them more accessible. Additionally, there should be emotional and peer support for those struggling with infertility, as well as education about things that affect fertility, such as testosterone replacement therapy.
Ultimately, this should be seen as affecting men as much as it affects women.
“I think it’s important to emphasize that infertility is not just a women’s issue,” said Asima Ahmad, co-founder and chief medical officer of Carrot. “We're here to be clear that it affects men, too. For men, infertility is more than just a sperm problem. It's part of your overall health. It's a whole-body, whole-person thing. Your nutrition is part of your fertility care. Your movement and exercise are part of your fertility care. Your sleep patterns, like sleep quality and stress management, are also part of your fertility care.”
Photo: HLTH Inc.
