Male Fertility: Urologist Visit
If you are trying to make a baby, and it’s not happening right away – it’s not just the woman that needs a check-up. Guys need one to. And that usually means a visit to the urologist.
Male Fertility Check-Up: Don’t be afraid of the urologist
This might be your very first encounter with an MD, and I promise you that it will be a journey into self revelation. Be prepared to talk about yourself with thoroughness and unflinching candor. Expect your urologist to scrutinize every fillip,quirk and tick in your health history and life style. You never know when a long forgotten infection, your evening hot tub ritual, your five espresso a day habit or smoking may be compromising your sperm count and your sperm vitality. The answers you provide become part of a comprehensive profile that helps being your particular case into focus. So before you go in think about:
Male Fertility: Urologist needs to know everything
- Your family and personal histories. Is there a pattern of infertility in your family?
- Whether you’ve ever achieved a pregnancy. It makes a difference if you ‘re experiencing primary or secondary infertility
- Have you had a pelvic or scrotal surgery? Have you had any abdominal surgeries, like a hernia operation, that could scar or injure delicate internal structures?
- Were or are you exposed to gonadotoxins (substances that literally poison the sperm-producing organs). This category includes a wide range of substances – from chemotherapy drugs to pesticides to workplace chemicals.
- How much alcohol do you consume? Do you use recreational drugs like marijuana? These are gonadotoxins as well.
- Are you exposed to heat for long periods of time? (Think Sauna or Steam.)
- Do you have a condition or disease that requires medications? Which meds are you taking? Some prescription drugs interfere with sperm production. Some diseases – diabetes for instance may hinder normal ejaculation.
- Have you had a sexual transmitted disease? Those could also lead to reproductive tract scarring.
Prepare for your Male Fertility Check-Up
Start thinking about all of these things before you see the urologist. Write down your answers. It will make that first visit far more productive, and take the edge off of answering those difficult questions.
Pamela Madsen
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Pamela Madsen was the first Executive Director of RESOLVE NYC and is the Founder of The American Fertility Association. Pamela is an internationally known fertility advocate who has appeared on Oprah and countless other major media outlets. Currently, Pamela is a fertility coach and publisher of The Fertility Advocate. She is also a blogger for Psychology Today and SpermCheck Fertility. |
