However unpleasant a diagnosis might be, try to think of it as a milestone which you have reached. It marks your progress on the path to finding a solution to your fertility problems. Irrespective of whether the diagnosis relates to you or your partner, as a couple you must approach your infertility in partnership.

If you have a diagnosis of your infertility, you will probably want to know as much as possible about it. Insight into your condition helps you to feel in greater control of the situation and empowers you and your partner to ask the right questions in relation to subsequent steps and treatment. If a diagnosis has not yet been made, you are perhaps looking for information about the possible diagnoses that you may be confronted with.

The information in this section is a valuable source of help in both instances. Here you will find detailed information about different possible causes of male infertility, including their symptoms, causes and probable treatments.

Sperm dysfunction lies at the heart of subfertility or infertility in the man. It can manifest as a complete absence of sperm cells (azoospermia) through to reduced sperm quality. These two main causes are briefly discussed in the first two chapters. The possible underlying reasons for sperm problems are then considered.