October 24, 2005
Family Planning
Question from Fort Myers, Florida, USA:
My husband has type 2 diabetes and currently takes Prandin, Lipitor, metformin, and Benicar. We are both 41 years of age and have been trying to conceive a child for over a year now. Can the diabetes itself or one of the medications he is taking cause infertility issues? He had a semen analysis done and his sperm count was a very high 220 million, but his motility was only 13 percent. The infertility doctor we had seen said this was because of the diabetes. We are planning to see a different infertility specialist next week for a second opinion and are wondering if there are any facts, research, or web sites you may be able to provide us to assist in our endeavor? My husband has a pretty good handle on his diabetes, which he has had for about a year and a half now, but we were also advised that if his sugar level was too high on any given day, it would damage the sperm and greatly decrease the possibility of fertility for that day. Does this make sense to you?
Answer:
Fertility experts have the most experience with the effect of diabetes on sperm motility. It makes sense as other cells in the body have difficulty functioning when the blood sugar levels are too high. White blood cells do not kill bacteria normally. Nerve cells have difficulty just producing enough energy to function. It makes sense that sperm may be subject to negative effects of high blood sugars as well. However, as diabetologists, we do not correlate sperm motility with glucose control in everyday practice. This would be best discussed with fertility experts.
JTL
