Why would anyone wash sperm? Are they like clothes that get dirty? Not exactly, but sperm washing can clean up the environment in which sperm find themselves. And it can concentrate the boys, so they pack a more powerful punch. On the downside, the act of washing sperm, which is literally putting them in tiny,...Continue reading
You see the headlines, “Autism increased tenfold,” “Autism 1 in 2 by 2025,” and you wonder if it’s really true and why. Well, the fact is that autism rates are increasing among children. In the 1970s, autism spectrum disorder was reported in 1 in 5,000 children. In 2009, it was 1 in 110. Currently, about 1...
Failed again. Another month, another failed infertility treatment. Are you too frightened or tired or broke to keep going, yet unable to accept that end-of-the-road feeling? Here are some things to consider as the feeling of desperation sets in:
She tells you that “it’s that time of the month,” which means that it’s baby-making time. You’ve been waiting for this and have duly refrained from sex or masturbation to stockpile the biggest quantity of sperm you can during her time of need. Is “saving up” sperm like retirement money a good idea? 401k Fund...Continue reading
When you hear two different stories, which do you believe? Well that depends. Typically, we use 4 kinds of information to help us to decide what to think: intuition (gut feeling), source authority, logic and evidence. Now the story: Boxers are better than briefs for your fertility. Believe it? Intuition and logic suggest that the...Continue reading
Upon reading Nellie Bowles great piece “The Dawning of Sperm Awareness” in the New York Times about the conundrum of our dropping sperm counts, I asked myself: “Am I coming across as a disruptor by not being particularly worried that we are headed toward extinction?” I thought it a good opportunity to unpack the beef behind this belief. Sperm...Continue reading
There I was, lecturing at the leading Japanese male fertility society at their annual meeting in Kobe, Japan and it hit me: Japan has a serious infertility problem. And they really need Sperm Mapping. Children of Men Here’s the drone view. Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the developed world (1.46, 2.1 is self...Continue reading
I’m not sure exactly why, but I see a lot of men with “older” (>15 year old) vasectomies who want them reversed. It’s a daily occurrence. Sure, I have published and lectured on this topic, but I think patients also sense that I have a particular interest in these more complex cases. They fall smack into the crosshairs of my interest, skill and...Continue reading
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” Dr. Seuss I’ve been asked to report to the fertility community about where we are with man-made sperm. Although we’re not where we’d like to be, it is certainly not for lack of trying. Around...Continue reading
Did you ever notice how the smallest things can make your day? Think of all of the things you do every single day, some by habit and some by intent. Realize that any one of them can make your day, if you let it. Join me for a moment in thinking small. Double Dare Read...Continue reading