For about a year, Matt and Mylie had been unsuccessful in trying to get pregnant. After the process began to feel emotionally draining, the couple decided to look into their medical history and do some detective work.
“We booked an appointment with Genea and went in and – sat down with the doctor and talked to them about – our process of trying and just a little medical of like medical history and I told them that I have quite small testicles,” says Matt, adding that this was a red flag to the doctor.
Speaking with Tarla Lambert on our podcast series, ‘Fertility Unfiltered’, in partnership with Genea Fertility, Matt says he had shown GPs in the past and concerns were never raised. This doctor, however, had him take a sperm sample.
“Turns out I had zero sperm,” said Matt, noting that this was “a big pill to swallow”.
After more tests, Matt was diagnosed with a genetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome, which occurs when a male is born with one or more additional X chromosomes.
Government health stats show it’s relatively common, affecting one in every 500 to 1000 males born in Australia each year.
Like many men out there, Matt didn’t have any reason to believe that something was wrong with his fertility. This was especially true considering he’d been to many GP’s before Genea and nothing was ever mentioned.
Professor Steve Robson at Genea is a specialist in general and unexplained infertility, and he says men can be apprehensive about sperm testing because they may believe it impinges on their masculinity in some way.
“I think there are a number of common misconceptions that we see around male fertility,” says Professor Robson. “The first is that your fertility in some way reflects your masculinity and I see this all the time.”
“It’s really important to put that aside [as] there’s often no connection whatsoever between masculinity and fertility.”
There are a number of factors that can impact male fertility, and Professor Robson says male infertility problems are more common than we may think. That’s why he says it’s important for hopeful dads and men to have open conversations when they’re trying to have a baby.
With more women opening up about fertility, Dr Robson hopes we can encourage this among men as well so that they aren’t walking the journey alone.
For Matt and his partner Miley, having a supportive circle of loved ones, trusted health practitioners, and each other, to lean on was crucial.
The pair decided to give IVF a chance and fortunately it worked. They’re now raising their son Jasper, and are happy to share their story with others in the hopes that it might help someone feel less isolated with their own fertility issues.
“There’s plenty of people going through the same thing and it doesn’t change who you are and it doesn’t – make you any less of a man or less of a human being,” says Matt.
“Don’t be scared to speak up.”
To learn about more reproductive health topics from health experts, check out the rest of the podcast series, “Fertility Unfiltered”, as new episodes are released each week. We’re creating a safe space for conversations around fertility, ranging from the possibility of parenthood, seeking guidance on reproductive health and even the science behind conception.