INFERTILITY PROBLEMS: SPERM PRODUCTION
Sperm are manufactured in seminiferous tubules (thread-like structures which fill the two testes). It takes at least three months for sperm cells to mature, ready to be ejaculated. That is why it is vital for a preconception programme to be put into place at least three months (preferably four) before trying to conceive. It is also important that, if there are problems with the sperm (e.g. low motility), then the man should follow a preconception programme for at least three months before re-testing because the benefits may not be apparent before then.
The head of the tadpole-like sperm carries the genetic material which will enter the egg and join the female genetic material. The head of the sperm has to be hard enough and contain certain enzymes in order to penetrate the egg.
I have seen a number of couples where the man’s semen analysis was fine and there were no problems with his partner. They had been referred for IVF treatment and at the vital point when the egg and sperm were put in the same dish, no fertilisation took place. This highlights an important limitation of semen analysis. It cannot identify one important reason for failure to conceive – the fact that a partner’s sperm, however fertile it is, cannot get into the egg.
Sometimes sperm heads are not strong enough to penetrate the egg. Sometimes the egg’s outer layer, the zona pellucida, is too tough to be penetrated.
Or it could be a combination of both that is making fertilisation difficult.
In this situation, even though the man has a good semen count, you would probably be advised to have ICSI treatment which involves inserting the sperm directly into the egg and is usually used to treat men with extremely low sperm counts. However, it’s certainly preferable to try other more natural ways of toughening up the sperm head and increasing the chances of conception before contemplating ICSI.
The middle part of the sperm provides the energy needed by the tail to move forward and also contains the mitochondrial DNA which plays a part in the inheritance of genes.
Also inside the testes are the Leydig cells which produce the hormone testosterone. Like oestrogen in the woman, this hormone is responsible for changes that occur around puberty, resulting in body and facial hair and a deep voice. Testosterone is needed for the sex drive and helping to achieve and maintain an erection.
As in a woman, the pituitary gland plays a large part in fertility because it releases the two vital hormones, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). It is interesting that we tend to think of ‘male’ and ‘female’ hormones and yet both men and women share the same reproductive hormones. The only difference is the proportions of these hormones. Testosterone is often classed as the ‘male hormone’ and yet women also produce testosterone, which is needed for sex drive just as in the man. However, the ratio of testosterone to oestrogen will be different in the man and the woman, resulting in either female or male characteristics, depending on the dominance of one or other of those hormones.
So we come back again to the idea of balancing our hormones, so that they can function efficiently, in the right amounts, and do the job they are supposed to do. This can be achieved by aiming for optimum health through changes in lifestyle and diet, so that the body has the tools to balance itself- so simple really and yet so effective.
Both women and men produce FSH and LH. In the man FSH is responsible for stimulating the cells in the seminiferous tubules to produce sperm, and LH stimulates the Leydig cells to produce testosterone.
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