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Have you ever wondered whether the kids of infertile couples were more likely to be boys or girls? Well, in 2011, Dr. Eisenberg and associates at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Washington in Seattle thought that it was worth looking into and looked back at 5293 couples who sought infertility care in California between the years of 1990 and 1998 and they had 6178 kids. They then compared them to 6730 fertile couples who had 9131 kids. What they found was that there was no significant difference in the ratio of boys to girls between the two groups. The male to female ratio of the kids was 3188:2989 for the infertile couples and 4660:4471 for the fertile couples (no significant difference). They then compared the two groups based on whether male factor infertility was an issue and found that the fertile couples had boys 51% of the time versus couples with male factor infertility who had boys 50.3% of the time. So basically there was do difference there as well.

Bottomline: This study of Californian couples in the 1990's found that infertile couples even with male factor infertility do not seem to be more or less likely to have kids of a specific gender as compared to fertile couples. Special thanks to these research groups at UCSF and UW for great stuff.

Reference: Eisenberg et al. 2011 Fertility & Sterility 96 (4): 833

Dr. K and his med school buddy from Seattle Same Warren crossed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim for a total of 44.8 miles to celebrate Dr. K's 40th birthday. Leaving the South Rim at 2am in 32 degree weather, descending in the light of a full moon, being baked during the afternoon in the 93 degree heat and surviving the total of 10,700 feet elevation gain, they had another soulful experience to add to the memory books of yet another wacky Warren/Kuang escapade.
Click Here to see the You Tube Video

The journey towards building a healthy family for infertile couples can be tough with many ups and downs just like the skyline of the Sandia Mountains. In tribute to those couples who are overcoming the challenge of male infertility, the Southwest Fertility Center for Men was proud to be the sole sponsor of the 2011 Sandia Crossing Mountain Marathon. Hats off to this year's winner Keith Hutchinson who finished in 4:12:17 at a rockin' pace of 8:42 minutes per mile! Special thanks to Tom Kirschgessner for all his hard work as the race director! See you all next year.


Sandia Crossing 2011 29mi Run Times
1. Keith Hutchinson 4:12:17 (8:42 per mile!)
2. Mike Raymer 4:33:57
3. Paco Maldonado 4:38:30
4. Paul Formisano 4:50:33
5. John Korfmacher 5:15:18
6. Alex Nunn 5:17:10
7. Jim Breyfogle 5:37:21
8. John Brown 5:39:00 (tie)
9. Paul Yourick 5:39:00 (tie)
10. Molly Roberts 5:39:00 (tie)
11. Aimee Hoyt 5:39:00 (tie)
12. Ruth Ann Hamrick 5:47:24
13. Andy Wright 6:00:16
14. Thonup Sarri 6:02:28
15. Fred Raymer 6:08:15
16. Brooks Raymer 6:10:30
17. David Retburg 6:11:53
18. Nick Juskiewicz 6:21:31
19. Pete Raymer 6:28:00
20. Allen Scarf 6:45:45
21. Jay Marsh 7:07:01
22. Brent Ecton 8:15:15
23. Klaus Weber 9:32:00 (26.5 mile Ojo Del Orno steep route)
24. Kevin Cummins 9:32:00 (26.5 mile Ojo Del Orno steep route)
25. Rachel Freund 9:46:00 (tie 1st walkers)
26. Rebecca Osterhout 9:46:00 (tie)
27. Jeremy Swanson 9:46:00 (tie)
28. Cliff Drum 10:22:30
29. Rodger Campbell 10:22:30

2% of men with infertility may face the challenge of Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) where there is no sperm in the ejaculate. Some of these men are candidates for a procedure under a microscope where the testicle is explored to look for rare islands of sperm production (Yes...even though there are no sperm in the semen, there can still be a few sperm hanging out in the testicle factory). This procedure is called a MicroTESE or Microdissection-Testicular Sperm Extraction. The chances of finding sperm can range from 20-80% (varies based on the man's situation); but it isn't always found at the time of the operation. When this is the case, the testicular tissue is taken back to the laboratory for more careful processing above and beyond what is done in the operating room.

In 2011, Dr. Ramasamy and associates from Cornell in New York explored how often they found sperm in the laboratory when they were not found in the operating room. At their institution, 1054 men underwent a MicroTESE. Sperm were found in 53% of these men. Of the men for whom no sperm were found in the operating room, the laboratory was able to successfully find sperm in an additional 7%.

Bottomline: Couples who are candidates for MicroTESE should understand that looking for sperm after a MicroTESE is a two-step process that occurs first in the operating room and then in the laboratory. Remember that even if no sperm are found in the operating room, there is still a change, albeit small, that sperm can still be found in the laboratory. When talking with your male fertility surgeon, just make sure they are set-up to perform this two-step process to optimize your chances of finding sperm. Many thanks to the Cornell team for this research which helps in counseling men and their partners about the chances of success with a MicroTESE.

Reference: Ramasamy et al. 2011 Fertility and Sterility 96(2): 299

For you stud athletes out there, you may have wondered what happens to your fertility potential when you exercise way up in the stratosphere! At least this is what a research team from Italy was curious about when they followed 7 male mountaineers on an expedition at 5900 - 6400 meters (that's a whopping 19,356 - 20,997 feet!) in the mountains of Manaslu, Himalayas (Definitely check this out on Google Maps...it is way out there in Kathmandu!).

In 2011, Dr. Pelliccione and associates from Chieti, Italy evaluated the effects of high altitude on these mountaineers after they had been trekking for 22 days at an altitude between 5900 - 6400 meters. While they found that the sperm concentration decreased from 68 Million/mL to 35 Million/mL, the quality of the sperm DNA remained healthy and sperm motility was unchanged. The decrease in sperm concentration may be due to the intense exercise in the context of reduced oxygen at high altitudes. More research is needed to determine the specific underlying cause.

Bottomline: Hats off to our Italian colleagues for this intriguing work! Obviously, it is difficult to make any definitive conclusions based on only 7 men, but it underscores the fact that stress in your life can affect your reproductive health. If your personal and/or professional life is causing you a little bit of anxiety or bumming you out, just let your male fertility specialist know. While it is unlikely to be the sole contributory cause of a man's infertility, it may be one more piece to the puzzle that can help your fertility doctor maximize your fertility potential.

Reference: Pelliccione et al. 2011 Fertility and Sterility 96(1): 28