If you’re reading this column, chances are good you’re not too shy about fertility issues. But a lot of men, it turns out, clam up completely when the topic comes up.
That’s according to an online poll posted by IntegraMed, which operates fertility centers all over the U.S. In fact, men were so silent on the subject of less-than-optimal sperm that it was their partners who did pretty much all the talking in responding to the poll. Nearly half of women said their husband only agreed to see a fertility specialist after constant prodding. And in keeping with the traditional strong-and-silent type, more than 40 percent of the guys didn’t want to discuss their possible infertility with a doctor, period. According to their wives, many saw their difficulty conceiving as meaning kids just weren’t in the cards for them. That’s a shame, since research makes clear that nearly one-third of all fertility glitches are caused by men, and another third are traceable to both the man and the woman. And once you’ve named a cause, you can very often find a treatment that will dramatically raise your odds for getting pregnant. Maybe it’s time to start talking?
