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In about 20% of infertile couples, the problem lies solely with the male partner. It is estimated 1 in 20 men have some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate, but 1 in every 100 have no sperm.
Unlike women, who have period cycles that can indicate problems, men generally don’t have obvious signs of infertility. Intercourse, erections and ejaculations usually happen without difficulty. The quantity and appearance of the ejaculated semen generally appears normal to the naked eye.
Sperm problems can only be detected through a properly conducted semen test. While sperm test kits are able to be purchased over the counter, they can be unreliable and far from perfect.
Male infertility is usually caused by problems that affect either sperm production or sperm transport: Either low numbers of sperm are made and/or the sperm made are poor quality, making them unviable. Sperm transport problems are found in 20% of men, and less common causes include: Whether semen is able to enter the vagina for fertilisation to take place (1 in 100 infertile couples); low levels of hormones in the pituitary gland that act on the testes (1 in 100 infertile men); and sperm antibodies (1 in 16 infertile men).
Causes for sperm issues are multi-faceted:
Some of these causes, such as genetic disorders, or damage caused by previous surgeries, are hard to deal with. Surgery may be able to help patients with varicoceles. You may be able to deal with some causes yourself, like stopping illicit drug use and reducing alcohol intake. However, hormonal imbalance is curiously ignored by most, and deserves more attention.
Read more in our blog page.
Hypogonadism in men is a condition that occurs when the testicles (also known as gonads) do not produce enough testosterone, the hormone that plays an important role in the development and maintenance of many male physical characteristics.
Primary hypogonadism occurs when there is a problem or abnormality in the testicles. Secondary hypogonadism occurs when there is a problem with the pituitary gland in the brain — the gland sends chemical messages to the testicles to produce testosterone.
In men, FSH stimulates testicular growth, and helps in the creation and maintenance of normal sperm cells.
A high FSH level in a male may mean the testicles are not functioning correctly. A low level may mean the pituitary gland in the brain is not functioning properly (this is less common than having a high FSH). FSH levels can be detected using a simple blood test, with normal levels for men being between 1.5 and 12.4 mIU/mL.
Like FSH, LH is a gonadotrophic hormone produced and released by cells in the pituitary gland. LH stimulates Leyden cells in the testes to produce testosterone, which acts locally to support sperm production.
High LH levels are generally seen in a variety of diseases, including testicular failure, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and gonadal dysgenesis. Low LH is associated with diseases such as eating disorders, hypothalamic suppression, hypopituitarism, hyperprolactinemia and sex hormone deficiency. Again, LH levels can be detected using a simple blood test, with normal levels for men being between 1 and 10 mIU/mL.
We at TCM Healthcare have extensive experience in improving sperm parameters, including increasing sperm count, sperm motility, increasing normal morphology and getting rid of, or reducing, anti-sperm antibodies. We have a success rate of over 70% in improving these factors.
Aged 31 (Azoospermia)
Count per mL (million)
0
0.016
Total count (million)
Morphology (%)
Total motility (%)
Progressive motility (%)
0
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.1
N/A
N/A
N/A
Aged 46
Count per mL (million)
0.08
0.8
Total count (million)
Morphology (%)
Total motility (%)
Progressive motility (%)
0.3
N/A
55
50
3.04
N/A
74
74
Aged 41
Count per mL (million)
22
41
Total count (million)
Morphology (%)
Total motility (%)
Progressive motility (%)
66
0
34
13
132.2
0
69
54
Aged 34
Count per mL (million)
2.2
7.6
Total count (million)
Morphology (%)
Total motility (%)
Progressive motility (%)
6.6
0
36
27
24.4
0
53
48
Aged 39 (Azoospermia)
Count per mL (million)
N/A
N/A
Total count (million)
Morphology (%)
Total motility (%)
Progressive motility (%)
0
N/A
N/A
N/A
7000
N/A
N/A
N/A
Patients bring us their test results and medical record. If you have not done a test before, we can arrange it for you and result would come back quickly. We do a first consultation lasting 30 to 40 minutes, in which we do non-invasive and pain-free Chinese medical diagnostic procedures, in order to understand your particular condition and circumstances thoroughly.
Our specialist prescribes a unique herbal formula, usually consisting of around 20 kinds of herbs, from which you will make drinks and consume 24 days of medication, twice daily, over a period of 4 weeks and a day of “rest” each week.
A month after the first consultation, you will be done with the first round of herbal remedy. We do a second consultation, lasting 30 minutes, doing another diagnostic procedure to see how well you’ve responded to the treatment. Another prescription will be written.
This monthly cycle will repeat 3 times before you are asked to have another semen test carried out. Over 70% of our patients see significant improvements. Some move onto phase 2 of the programme (another course of treatment for 3 months) to consolidate their results.
The fees come to about £530 a month inclusive.
Once a month. Most patients come from 3 to 6 months.
A traditional Chinese medical consultation involves the following steps.
The practitioner may scrutinise your complexion, eyes, tongue, and movements to gain insight into how your organs are functioning. The tongue is a particularly important source of information, and its colour, body, coating, and moisture will all be taken into account.
The practitioner assesses the patient’s energy and general condition by taking into account your body heat, odour, skin sensitivity, and uses other senses to gain an insight into the your condition.
To gain a full picture, the practitioner will ask detailed questions about your complaint and your medical history. They will want to find out whether your problems vary at all according to the time of year and your diet, feelings or emotions.
This can provide a highly sensitive and detailed picture of your general health. The practitioner will take a number of different ‘pulses’ using three fingers put on the wrist of each hand of the patient. This enables him to gain further information about the quality and functioning of the five major organs. The practitioner will take account of your general health and strength, as well as all of your symptoms, whether they seem to you to be connected or not. This will be the basis for deciding on the best treatment.
Monthly consultations are required to gauge your progress. The prescriptions will be devised accordingly — for treating a changing condition, a fixed single herb or formula is unlikely to be effective over time.
Patients want to know how long they need to see us for. We say after 3 months of treatment, we will review progress, retesting hormones or sperm and check subjective experience, such as sexual interest and performance. If they are at normal levels, we discharge the patients.
If they are better but still need further improvement, patients may need second course of treatment at the same or less intensity.
Typically, men see us for 3 to 6 months.
The point is that the way we treat patients means they should not rely on our treatment for too long. Their improved health and function should stay with them if they look after their health.
We have just launched a second opinion service where you can send us your hormone test results, sperm test results and other results. Consultations will be done on the phone and it will not be a face-to-face medical consultation.
Since we work with IUI, IVF, ICSI, egg and sperm freezing specialists, we can explore a full range of options with you prior to your committing to a course of actions that may be best for you. There is no charge for this service.
We offer this service in good faith based on our clinical experience and our work with partner agencies such as IVF specialists. We do not accept any liability and we will urge you to triangulate opinions given with your own doctors before you decide what may be best for your circumstance.
Call us any time on 0207 096 0283 or fill out our enquiry form.
We would like to see the following test results (less than 2 months old):
If you have not done them yet, we can arrange them for you. Results come out in 1–3 days.
A booking fee of £100 (refunded when you attend) will be processed at booking.
Late cancellation fee £50
We appreciate that you might not be well or have urgent matters to attend. As a result you may have to postpone the appointment. We would like to have at least 24 hours' advance notice. A late cancellation fee of £50 is payable if advance notice is not given.
Yes. No medical system is foolproof and medical practitioners, however good, are not omnipotent. As great as our success rates are, they are not 100%. There are times patients do not respond to our treatments despite our best efforts.
Delayed improvements are possible when patients rest a little. However, even with rest, patients may still not respond well. Fortunately, these cases are in the minority. We minimise the number of these cases by trying to understand our patients’ conditions as much as possible before taking them on. We minimise time and financial commitments from patients by insisting they have hormone or sperm test results prior to treatment, and to get retested after 3 months — following our evidence-based approach.
At TCM Healthcare, we will always have your best interests in mind and we will do our best.
