Male infertility can feel especially frustrating when the first round of tests does not explain the problem. A semen analysis may show a low sperm count, poor motility, or reduced semen volume, but it may not reveal why those changes are happening.

Infertility treatment can turn sex into a task with timing, testing and pressure attached to it. For many men, that pressure shows up in the most frustrating way, difficulty getting or keeping an erection when it matters most. Erectile dysfunction during fertility treatment is common enough that clinics should ask about it openly. Yet many men stay silent because they feel embarrassed, guilty or afraid it will be seen as another “problem” to fix. That silence can make anxiety worse, reduce...

Severe male infertility can look simple on the surface: a semen analysis shows very few sperm, or none at all. Beneath that result, the cause may sit in a tiny missing segment of DNA on the Y chromosome.