Fertility guide for men

Fertility guide for men

Expert treatment and support for male fertility.

Do you need help to become a father? Problems to male fertility is much more common than you might think.

Manchester Fertility is a specialist and leading UK clinic for the treatment of male fertility factors.

With a consultant urological surgeon and male factor fertility doctor on our team, we have the expertise to help you have a baby, performing individualised and through investigations to devise the best treatment for you.

We can help if you have issues such as:

  • Low sperm count
  • Poor sperm mobility
  • Abnormally shaped sperm
  • No sperm production (azoospermia)
  • Retrograde ejaculation
  • A previous vasectomy
  • Previous medical treatment such as chemotherapy
  • Poor sperm production due to hormone problems

What if I need a sperm donor?

If your best option of a baby is to use donor sperm, we make sure that you are involved every step of the way, just as you would be if your own sperm were being used. We have our very own donor bank.

All of our sperm donors are health screened to the strictest HFEA standards, are fully identifiable to your child in future and have the highest quality sperm.

You are able to specify any physical characteristics you would like your sperm donor to have, in most cases men who need to use a sperm donor choose a donor whom they closely resemble.

Our Donation Team know all of our sperm donors very well and along with our detailed donor profiles, they will help you to choose the right sperm donor for you.

Our donor sperm bank
What if I need a sperm donor?

The path to treatment

Fertility testing

We will perform a semen analysis which examines every aspect of your fertility, from your sperm count,sperm mobility and how well your sperm moves to its shape and ability to fertilise the egg.

Lifestyle assessment

We will look at your lifestyle too to make sure there is nothing that could affect the quality of your sperm, such as smoking, excessive alcohol, a high BMI or recreational drug use.

Specialist testing

We may advise SpermComet DNA damage testing, which examines the amount of DNA damage – a cause of unexplained infertility and miscarriage.

Blood & screening tests

We may perform blood tests, which examine factors such as hormone levels and chromosome abnormalities, which could be affecting your sperm production and ability to have a child. 

Treatment type

Using all your test results and lifestyle factors, we’ll recommend which treatment is best to help you conceive, such as IVF, ICSI or SSR.

Support

We are here for you throughout treatment, making sure you feel involved and are emotionally and fully-supported every step of the way.

Fertility counselling for men

Finding out that you need help to be a father can take an emotional toll, and it can be hard to talk to your partner about how you are feeling, or to confide in family or friends. You may feel guilty because you have not been able to give your partner a child naturally, or because she has to go through IVF.

Or you may just find it hard to accept that there is a problem. At Manchester Fertility, we put a great deal of focus on supporting you mentally as well as physically with treatment.

Our counsellors have many years of expertise in guiding couples through the ups and downs of treatment, and are here right from the start to make sure you and your partner are both fully prepared for the journey and how it may affect each of you, regardless of the outcome.

You can see our counsellors on your own and with your partner – two sessions are included in treatment. You can also talk to any of our team at any time.

More about counselling
Fertility counselling for men

Learning Centre

Browse the blogs in our Learning Centre to understand more about male infertility, sperm issues and how fertility treatment can help you conceive.

Learning Centre
Learning Centre

FAQs

How can I get an appointment with Manchester Fertility?

You do not need a referral for an appointment with us. You can self-refer.

How do we find the best fertility clinic for us?

Firstly visit the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s website (HFEA) for a list of registered clinics local to you. Then ring up the fertility clinic and ask for brochures or information, or visit the clinic’s website. Don’t be afraid to go and tour the clinic. At Manchester Fertility you can book in for an informal, free 'one-to-one' appointment so that you can come and visit us, our friendly team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.

How much does IVF or fertility treatment cost?

IVF costs vary depending on which clinic you choose. You will need to pay for the initial consultation, any pre-treatment tests or scans, and then for the actual treatment itself and any necessary medications. For more details, see our prices page

I’m in a same-sex relationship and we would like to have a family. Can you help us?

Yes, we welcome many same-sex couples through our doors for pregnancy help, in fact we have a great reputation for it - whether you need treatment with donor sperm or donor eggs. For information about the fertility treatments we offer to help you, visit our donation section

I already have a child but I am having problems getting pregnant again. Is there something wrong with me?

Secondary infertility – the inability to have a second or third child despite have a successful pregnancy before – is not uncommon. But you may be worrying over nothing. Remember, infertility isn’t defined until you have been having regular, unprotected intercourse for up to two years without falling pregnant, so it could just be that this time it’s taking longer than before to conceive. Your age could also be a factor, remember that fertility starts to decline from age 30 onwards and even more so from age 35. But if you think you need fertility help, don’t hesitate seeing your GP or contact us,

Can I get IVF treatment on the NHS?

The provision of IVF treatment varies across the country, and often depends on local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) policies.

ICBs may have additional criteria you need to meet before you can have IVF on the NHS, such as:

  • not having any children already, from both your current and any previous relationships
  • being a healthy weight
  • not smoking
  • falling into a certain age range (for example, some ICBs only fund treatment for women under 35)

Ask your GP or contact your local integrated care board (ICB) to find out whether NHS-funded IVF treatment is available in your area.

Do you offer fertility treatment via the NHS?

No, we do not offer fertility treatment on the NHS as we are a wholly private fertility clinic. However certain Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will consider allowing you to transfer the funding for your NHS IVF cycles to us. If you’re eligible for fertility treatment on the NHS, you may be able to Transferring your NHS funded IVF treatment unit but would firstly need to discuss this with your CCG.  More information can be found from Fertility Network UK.

I want to get pregnant but I’m over 40 years of age, can you help me conceive?

Yes. However, you need to consider the fact that live birth rates for older women in their mid-40s, who wish to use their own eggs to conceive, is generally extremely low. Your options will include ovarian stimulation, and intrauterine insemination or IVF. Dependent upon your individual case, you may need to consider using donor eggs to get pregnant. For more details, call us on 0161 300 2737. You can also read our Guide for Women over 40.

What hours are you open?

Being flexible with our opening times is vital for our patients at Manchester Fertility. We always aim to see you at times convenient to you. Our current opening times are shown on our contact page. You will always see the most appropriate staff member for your needs.

What is the EmbryoGlue Treatment you offer?

EmbryoGlue is not a treatment we charge extra for – we use it as a supplement to the culture media used in the development of your embryo in our laboratory. We started using it because studies have shown it helps improve the chances of pregnancy by encouraging your embryo to implant successfully. It is a culture medium that mimics the natural molecules and fluids you’d find in your own body if you were going through pregnancy naturally.

Your embryo is placed into the EmbryoGlue just prior to transfer – and the properties it contains helps the embryo ‘stick’ to your uterus. Once an embryo transfer is carried out, we can never guarantee it will successfully implant for pregnancy – but 13 separate studies have concluded that the use of EmbryoGlue, thanks to its high levels of hyaluronan, increases both clinical pregnancy rates and live births. And so we now use EmbryoGlue for all embryo transfers at no extra cost to you. For more information about EmbryoGlue, you can visit this link.

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

James and Angela, Jul 2018