birth defects and fertility

Birth Defects, Fertility and Fatherhood

Ever wonder about the future fertility of children born with birth defects? As a urologist, I’ve treated hundreds of boys with two common birth defects: undescended testicles and hypospadias. Throughout my career, it’s been hard to address the question of a boy’s future fertility with these conditions. Until now. Missing in Action Birth defects occur in 3% of U.S. newborns....Continue reading

men our grandfathers were

We Are Fully the Men Our Grandfathers Were

Upon reading Nellie Bowles great piece “The Dawning of Sperm Awareness” in the New York Times about the conundrum of our dropping sperm counts, I asked myself: “Am I coming across as a disruptor by not being particularly worried that we are headed toward extinction?” I thought it a good opportunity to unpack the beef behind this belief. Sperm...Continue reading

rock of infertility

Looking Under the Rock of Male Infertility

Raise your hand if you looked under rocks as a kid. What’dya remember finding? Moist dark soil and interesting little critters skedaddling away is what I recall.  Earth’s underbelly, teeming with life. Infertility Awareness The theme of this year’s National Infertility Awareness Week is “Flip the Script.” Be a voice, break the silence, advocate, pledge and help build awareness...Continue reading

chicken and egg

Does Man Make the Sperm or Sperm Make the Man?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This ancient paradox filled the minds of the great philosophers Aristotle, Plutarch, Macrobius and Anaximander who all considered it a “great and weighty” problem. Not sure what else was going on back then, but even 2000 years later, it has not been satisfactorily solved. Which came first? An ancient...Continue reading

autumn fertility

Autumn and Infertility: A Match for the Ages

I’ve always felt that having infertility is similar to having cancer. Not in a life-threatening way but certainly in psychological impact. They can both be brutal. But this is autumn, a time of change. Cloudy, Chance of Rain This first became apparent to me when we showed that infertile men had higher social strain and lower overall and sexual...Continue reading

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