Our fertility center helps men overcome the challenge of retrograde ejaculation

Las Vegas fertility doctors at our fertility center find that retrograde ejaculation can make it difficult for patients to build a family. This male infertility condition, which consists of a man’s semen passing backward into the bladder, instead of out of the body, results in minimal sperm being available to fertilize the egg. While this fertility issue doesn’t make a spontaneous pregnancy impossible, it does significantly reduce the likelihood of one developing.

Using semen and urine analysis, doctors at our fertility center support male patients in determining if this issue is the source of their fertility struggles. If the semen analysis reveals a low volume of semen, and the urine sample contains semen, the man will likely receive a retrograde ejaculation diagnosis.

Learn more about why some men experience retrograde ejaculation

When a man and woman are trying to conceive without the support of fertility treatments, the man must ejaculate semen from his urethra. During typical ejaculation, sphincter muscles close off the bladder, resulting in semen traveling out of the penis and into the vagina where it can fertilize an egg.

When a man’s sphincter muscles do not close during ejaculation, retrograde ejaculation occurs. In this situation, some semen might exit the body, but most remains in the bladder.

Certain circumstances can increase the chance of a man having this male infertility condition.

• Diabetes
• Certain medications, such as imipramine, midodrine and chlorpheniramine
• Multiple sclerosis
• Prostate or urethra surgery

With the support of a medical care provider, a man can sometimes reverse this male infertility condition by ceasing use of certain medications or taking a medication that could cause the sphincter muscles of the bladder to close.

Men who cannot reverse this male infertility condition can receive effective treatments from our Las Vegas fertility doctors.

Various treatments can help men move past this male infertility condition

If a patient’s ejaculation issue is not reversible, the doctor will recommend certain fertility treatments, depending on the man’s unique situation.

Sperm preparation. When a man decides to move forward with a fertility treatment, the first step is often the collection of sperm from a man’s sperm or urine sample. Fertility specialists then wash the sperm with a special fluid and prepare it for use.

Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration, or MESA. When sperm collection from a sperm or urine sample is not possible, the patient can undergo the MESA procedure. This treatment involves the doctor collecting semen from the coiled tube lying behind and above the patient’s testicles.

If sperm can be collected through these methods, a man and his partner may be eligible for one of two types of treatments to achieve pregnancy.

IVF, or in vitro fertilization. If the patient is using a gestational surrogate, or has a female partner with certain fertility issues, the doctor will likely recommend IVF. IVF is an effective treatment that allows the doctor to collect eggs from the female patient’s ovaries, and an embryologist to fertilize the eggs with sperm from the man. The doctor can then transfer a healthy embryo into the woman’s uterus.

Intrauterine insemination, or IUI. Male patients with a female partner who has a healthy uterus and ovarian reserve can often conceive through IUI. This simple procedure involves the female patient monitoring her ovulation and having the doctor inject sperm from the male patient the day after ovulation likely occurs.

These treatments allow our Las Vegas fertility doctors to help men fulfill the dream of fatherhood.

Contact us for more information about our services.