Shooting Blanks

With sperm counts declining across the West, male infertility has become increasingly common. So why is conception still spoken of as a female issue? MH investigates the last great sexual taboo

- Sarfraz Manzoor

AVRADEEP AND EMMA met in 2010, when they were both in their thirties. “My late father was the young gest of 13 children,” Avradeep says. “Growing up, I saw the joy that raising me gave my father. My parent ts’ dream was to have children, and they were great parents. I wanted something like that.”

Given Emma’s age, the couple didn’t feel that they had the luxury of getting to know each other over many years before planning a family, so they started trying for a baby just a year into their relationship. “We did what you’re supposed to do,” recalls Avradeep. “A slots into B, and Bob’s your proverbial uncle.” However, despite months of trying, Emma did not become pregnant. Concerned, they went to their GP, and both partners were given several blood tests. Avradeep was also asked to do a semen test. “I had to produce a fresh sample and get it to the hospital lab within an hour,” he says. “Which is no mean feat, considering the traffic.”

A week later, the results arrived while Avradeep was playing squash. Emma collected them and rang him to say they needed to talk. He returned home, and it was then that he learned the reason why Emma was failing to become pregnant: Avradeep had zero sperm. He was infertile.