Wayne was still in his twenties when he was told by doctors he had azoospermia – zero sperm count – and thought that would end his hopes of having a baby with partner Melissa. But after undergoing MicroTESE, a delicate sperm extraction procedure performed by Bourn Hall’s specialist team of ‘sperm hunters’, he is now a dad to twins.
For many couples who struggle to conceive it can come as a complete shock. The Bourn Hall Fertility Fair aims to answer your questions about infertility and provide a pathway forward to help you take the next step.
A recent BBC documentary shone a light on male infertility and the taboos which still exist around the subject. Former Bourn Hall patient Matt talks about the impact on his mental health.
Mr Oliver Wiseman says: “A semen test that shows a low sperm count or poor sperm quality is just the starting point, many issues can be resolved naturally, or with surgery and/or medication.
Luke is young, healthy and fit and runs marathons in his spare time, so it was a surprise to him and his partner Hannah when it was revealed that both of them had fertility issues.
Luke is healthy and runs marathons in his spare time, it was a shock that both he and his partner had fertility issues
Unexplained infertility, where the reason is not clear and might be caused by sub-fertility on both sides, is also common and is frustrating for patients.
A man who thought he would never be a dad celebrated Father’s Day this year with his baby son. Some otherwise healthy people can be infertile from a hidden medical condition.
Childhood sweethearts Emma and Wayne are proud parents to baby Jack, having visited Bourn Hall’s Wickford Clinic following male factor fertility problems.
Lucinda and Matthew felt fortunate to have Edward through IVF treatment. So when having further IVF to conceive a second baby, the couple decided to share eggs with another couple.
Informed that her egg store was low, Jemma and her partner Carl pursued an emerging treatment called IMSI – twins Esther and Leo were born in August 2014.
“Clive plays a lot of cricket, so when our consultant said a testicular trauma may be the cause of our fertility problems we could all picture what probably happened!”