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TESE and MESA

Hope for Men Battling Infertility

By C.J. Johnson

. Both procedures must be used in combination with in vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to obtain a pregnancy.

IVF provided hope for infertile couples, but it was the development of ICSI in combination with IVF that began creating positive results for couples who were trying to conceive. With these newest techniques, couples have almost as good a chance of achieving a pregnancy as couples with normal sperm count who undergo IVF.

TESE and MESA are positive options for patients who:

• Had a vasectomy and do not wish to undergo a reversal
• Had a reversal that failed
• Have congenital absence of the vas deferens
• Had an infection that resulted in an occlusion of the epididymis
• Have ejaculatory dysfunction due to multiple sclerosis or diabetes

These procedures are simple. The equipment required to perform them is minimal, and the techniques are much less invasive than previous surgical approaches. The patient is able to return to work either the same day or the following day without significant risk of complications. Patients often require oral pain medication for approximately 24 hours after each of these procedures. "The key to a speedy recovery is the use of a scrotal supporter and ice intermittently for the first 24 to 48 hours after the procedure," Dr. Brannigan says.

Reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Brian Acacio of the Sher Institute has performed countless procedures at his Glendale, California office. His fertility center has had a 60 percent success rate overall using these procedures.

Dr. Acacio explains the success of his facility. "Our success rates are two to three times higher than the national average," he says. "If we don't have better than the average, we won't make money."

Want to see more?

• A Good Egg or Sperm
• Fertility and Disabilities
• Male Factor Infertility
• Antisperm Antibodies: The Myths, the Truths and the Treatments of Sperm Allergies
• Eight Ways to Help Improve Male Fertility
• Talk about it!