Fertility problems affect both men and women. As many as two out of every five couples with fertility problems require treatment of both spouses, and in 25 percent of the couples their fertility problem rests with the husband alone. Fertility diagnosis and treatment is lengthy, time consuming and expensive. The process can frequently be eased and shortened by both partners working together with their fertility physicians from the beginning. In addition to the tests done on a woman, it is often necessary to perform a semen analysis to be sure a husband has sufficient normally functioning sperm for fertilization to occur.
Human conception is a difficult and complex process, even under the best conditions.
Normally functioning sperm will ultimately complete the path to fertilization. This means first breaking through cervical mucous, traveling up the length of the uterus and entering the fallopian tube. Once in the fallopian tube, sperm must meet an egg, penetrate the eggs protective coating and inner membrane, and finally, fertilize the egg. Then, and only then, has fertilization occurred. To increase a couple's chances for conception it may be necessary for the husband to undergo special sperm studies.