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  |  Fertility  |  Infertility  |  Sperm test - partner is reluctant
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Sperm test - partner is reluctant

by Dr Howard Lee

question
I am 40 and have been trying, unsuccessfully, to conceive for the last three years. My doctor said that my husband would need to have a sperm count before I can be assessed, but my husband is reluctant to do this. Is there any way round it?
Also, I have been getting dreadful period pains since I was 12. Could this be the reason why I haven’t conceived? I wondered if it would help if I had a 'scrape'?
I'm very anxious now. I'm getting older and I want to know if I'm able to conceive or not, irrespective of whether or not my husband has a sperm count.

answer
Whilst problems with fertility are very common, the time scale in your case does seem to suggest that there is a problem. Your period pains can, in fact, indicate that ovulation IS taking place.

Can I also assume that, for at least some part of the last three years, you have attempted to take a regular ‘basal’ body temperature? This is often one of the first steps to take in order to identify regular ‘ovulation’.

A D&C (‘scrape’) would do nothing more than remove a womb lining for one month and delay possible impregnation of a fertilised egg into the womb by some two months until the lining heals.

A sperm test is such a simple procedure – although I can understand your husband’s sentiments to a degree.
I presume that you’ve explained that the sample can quite easily be produced at home – the only requirement being that it has to be received in the laboratory within an hour. Typically, the specimen is taken to the laboratory in the provided receptacle – being kept warm to body heat in the bra of the female.
The ‘producer’ doesn’t even have to deliver it.

Whilst I do understand that you wish to know your own biological capabilities as far as fertility is concerned, all future investigations and plans do tend to revolve around the results of your partner’s seminal analysis. This really is the starting point for any investigations.

Have a look at our article about male fertility: It takes two to tango.

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