Blog Archive

It’s 2019. Your balls are as important as they have ever been. And if you really care about them you shouldn’t let anyone with a knife or a needle near you if you have a choice. The gold standard in my humble opinion is a No Needle, No scalpel vasectomy. The...

Fertility Friday Tip 33: Have regular physical examinations to detect early signs of infections or abnormalities that might indicate or lead to infertility.

Early research shows that taking lycopene by mouth daily for 3 months improves sperm quality in some men with fertility problems due to unknown causes.

Fertility Friday Tip 31: Don’t go overboard on any nutrient or vitamin that is supposed to boost fertility (such as zinc). As with everything, balance is key.

Fertility Friday Tip 30: Chronic malnourishment can affect female hormones and hence cause infertility.

Fertility Friday Tip 29: According to new research, a vegetarian diet might harm fertility.

Fertility Friday 28: 1/3 of fertility problems are from men, 1/3 from women, and 1/3 from unknown factors. Cover all your bases when seeking help for infertility.

Fertility Friday 27: STIs can harm fertility so make sure to protect yourself until you are ready for a committed relationship and children.

Fertility Friday Tip 26: Certain autoimmune diseases can create antibodies that attack sperm, hence hurting fertility in men. Consult a doctor if you think this might be a problem.

Fertility Friday Tip 25: The pituitary gland helps in the brain function that regulates the hormone production. If there is a deficiency in this, infertility in males can occur. Gonadotropin treatment is one of the male infertility treatments for men with pituitary deficiency.

Fertility Friday Tip 24: Certain lubricants can actually impair fertility by affecting sperm. If you are having issues conceiving and feeling dry during intercourse, try a sperm-friendly lubricant such as Pre-Seed, available over the counter.

Fertility Friday Tip 23: Beware of certain medications, particularly antidepressants and mood stabilizers, as they can disrupt hormones that are important to fertility.

Fertility Friday Tip 22: If you are trying to conceive, make sure you and your partner’s cholesterol level are under control. High cholesterol won’t just harm your heart–it can also negatively impact your ability to conceive, according to a recent study in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Fertility Friday Tip 21: Watch the use of night lights. Artificial nighttime light exposure can harm both your ability to conceive and fetal development.

Fertility Friday Tip 20: Take note of your partner’s birth control choices before you decide you want to have a baby. Injectable forms of birth control may take up to a year to wear off before normal menstrual and ovulation cycles start again, whereas oral contraception takes very little time...

Fertility Friday Tip 19: Sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for up to three days after intercourse, so having sex every day, or even on ovulation day, is not necessary. What’s critical is knowing your fertile window.

Fertility Friday Tip 18: Stressed about sexual positions? Don’t be, because they don’t affect your chance of conception.

Fertility Friday Tip 17: Just because you have a low sperm count doesn’t mean you can’t have kids. In fact, it doesn’t even mean you need to remain low. Infertility treatments are available and improving every year.

Sex is a contact sport unlike any other. I’m sure many images are going through your mind. And I’m not talking about tripping on the rug before you get into bed or hitting your elbow on the night stand. The idea of wearing a helmet is necessary for more than...

Fertility Friday Tip 15: Changed your mind about having another child? Good thing many vasectomies are reversible.

Fertility Friday Tip 16: For men with deteriorating sperm quality and count, whether due to age or a health condition, freezing your sperm is sometimes a great option if you still want to have kids in the future.

Fertility Friday Tip 14: That vein might be hurting more than your vanity. Varicocele can cause low sperm quality and production. In such cases, corrective surgery can help.

Fertility Friday Tip 13: Did you know you could break that? Your penis that is… Well don’t despair, because conditions such as penile fracture, Peyronie’s disease, and other conditions that lead to infertility are all treatable to some degree.

Fertility Friday Tip 12: June is National Safety Month, dedicated to stopping slips, trips, falls and other injuries (especially those that hurt reproductive organs, in the case of my patients). So make sure to protect your family jewels so that you can create a family of your own now or...

I often see patients who are potential candidates for vasectomy reversal and it makes me think of a smart urologist whom I have known for many years. We were at a meeting of a local surgical society and having a glass of wine and talking to a third mutual friend,...

A 28-year-old man recently came to see me after he and his wife had been unable to conceive for a year. She was 26 and healthy. He smoked 2 packs per day and liked to drink as well. He was about 20 lbs. overweight. I looked at his analyses. His...

Fertility Friday Tip 11: For most men, riding a bike is unlikely to cause any fertility issues. However, evidence suggests that prolonged time in the saddle may affect fertility so invest in a good bike seat and padded shorts and make sure to take regular breaks.

Fertility Friday Tip 10: Hot tubs are great for relaxation (which we know is great for erectile function), but if the temperature is too high, it can reduce sperm count. So cool your jets…at least when it comes to the hot tub.

Fertility Friday Tip 9: From erectile dysfunction to premature ejaculation, relaxation is often key.

Fertility Friday Tip 8: Timing is everything. The six days before ovulation and the day of ovulation are the times when conception is most likely.

Fertility Friday Tip 7: Heavy smokers produce up to 20% fewer sperm than non-smokers. The genetic material in the sperm (DNA) can also be damaged by the chemicals in cigarette smoke. So protect your fertility, and don’t smoke.

Alas, spring is upon us! The flowers are in bloom and love is in the air. Temperatures are rising and clothes are shrinking. Doesn’t it all just make you want a have a baby? Even if you hadn’t already been thinking about having a baby, the season can certainly put...

Fertility Friday Tip 6: If the male partner drinks more than 20 units of alcohol per week it takes longer for his partner to conceive, so make sure you enjoy in moderation.

Fertility Friday Tip 5: Men who work in factories are routinely exposed to chemicals that threaten reproductive health.  It’s important to minimize contact with these substances whenever possible.

Fertility Friday Tip 4: The odds of infertility increase by 10 percent for every 20 pounds of excess weight, so stay fit to stay fertile!

Fertility Friday Tip 3: Men who eat more carbs after exercising have higher testosterone, according to the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

How does testosterone affect fertility? Are erections relaxation or contraction? Can I really fracture my penis? There are some common misconceptions about male sexual health perpetuated by popular culture and even some physicians. In this talk, I examine a few of the most prevalent ones, and explain some important issues...

My editorial response to an article published in the June issue titled “Greater endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome–a possible link to cardiovascular disease.” Urologists used to believe that all of our patients with the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) had a...

Fertility Friday Tip 2: Exercise is good for you, but like all things, moderation is key. Working out more than 2 hours a day can decrease your fertility.

Fertility Friday Tip 1: Studies have shown that cellphones can encourage sperm cell death, so keep your cellphones out of your front pocket in order to maintain good fertility.

As a urologist specializing in male fertility, perhaps the most common question I get asked by new patients is, “am I fertile?” To find out, I’ll examine them, draw hormones and get two semen samples for analysis. As soon as I get the results back from the lab, I’ll review...

I was one of the authors of this review, published in Reviews in Urology, of the Male Infertility presentations at the 2013 American Urological Association Annual Meeting outlining the key takeaways for Urologists. Topics covered include: Exogenous Testosterone Therapy and Male Infertility Microdissection Testicular Sperm Extraction Klinefelter Syndrome DNA Damage...

I participated in a study on the use of radiofrequency ablation to reduce pelvic pain and urinary problems.The study was published in “Case Reports in Urology” and is currently available online. Relief of urinary urgency, hesitancy, and male pelvic pain with pulse radiofrequency ablation of the pudendal nerve: a case...