When we talk about dealing with infertility, we are often talking about the fertility problems faced by women. Hormonal problems related to aging, disease and genetics can wreak havoc on a woman's body and make it difficult for her to conceive. However, it's not always the woman in the equation that's the problem. Men can suffer from fertility problems as well and the situation can be just as tough for them as it is for the women we discuss so frequently.
Take the case of Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton. After dealing with testicular cancer and a non-malignant brain tumor, his body just didn't have the testosterone it needed to get his wife pregnant. They looked in to in vitro fertilization but ended up trying a hormone treatment for men designed to stimulate testosterone. The procedure was expensive and time-consuming, just like fertility treatments for women. In the end, they were successful; the couple now has a three-month-old son.
It's important to remember that either men or women can be victims of infertility. And both can use fertility treatments to become survivors of the problem.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that infertility is as difficult for men to cope with as it is for women?
