Couples are undergoing unnecessary IVF because male infertility is under-researched and often goes undiagnosed on the NHS, leading experts have said. Poor understanding among GPs, a lack of specialists, and insufficient testing mean that treatable conditions are frequently missed, despite men accounting for half of all infertility cases.
One common treatable cause is varicocele, a dilated vein in the scrotum that can be corrected with surgery. However, Dr Vaibhav Modgil, consultant urological surgeon at the University of Manchester, said women are quickly offered extensive tests, while men may wait years for basic semen analysis. He called for a top-down approach to raise awareness of male infertility, which affects 5-10% of UK men.
Campaigners had hoped the government's first Men's Health Strategy, published this week, would include a focus on male infertility, but were disappointed by its omission. Dr Michael Carroll of Manchester Metropolitan University said it was a missed opportunity to address the mental health toll and the fact that infertile men tend to have shorter lifespans.
Tim Shand, founder of Men's Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, noted that recent research found 80.6% of GPs had no training in male fertility, and 97% could not accurately examine for varicocele. He argued that proper assessment of men before IVF would bring significant cost benefits for the NHS and reduce couples' mental health burdens.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “For too long, there has been a reluctance to accept that men suffer specific inequalities and hardships when it comes to their health. This includes male infertility. The Men’s Health Strategy sets up a strong foundation for improving how we think and act on men’s health.”
