- My Story 

Despite male factor infertility being responsible for up to 50% of fertility issues in couples trying to conceive, the lack of support for men wanting to make the changes required to improve their fertility is worrying.

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2011, saw my life change in a way I never saw coming or thought possible. On a sun filled January afternoon while sitting in the office of a fertility consultant I was told  briefly and bluntly that I was deemed infertile and there was nothing I could do to improve my fertility health.

   

With a sperm count of 1500 and a viable sperm level of less than 1% my wife (Jennifer) and I were told that the only option for us was Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection or ICSI as it is more commonly known. Leaving me feeling confused, deflated and without appropriate support on the brink of a catastrophic breakdown, not only physically, but also mentally. I felt as though I was powerless and the whole situation was out of my control. 

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Despite physical health being heavily linked to optimal fertility in both men a women, it is regularly overlooked in the preparation phase for fertility intervention, especially in relation to men. I, like so many men I have encountered, received limited advice on how to actually improve my health to optimise my fertility. I received the textbook 'lose some weight', 'eat more of a Mediterranean diet' and suggestions to make those lifestyle changes we have all read and heard about, but when the door of the consultation room closed, I was left to navigate the storm ahead of me alone. I left each and every consultation with more questions than answers.

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After two failed fresh and frozen cycles of ICSI, a miscarriage and a deep journey of acceptance, the lack of support and direction that I experienced prompted me to create my own exercise programme and make the changes to my lifestyle that I needed to improve my health and in turn my fertility. With time and consistency, I saw not only my sperm count increase to over 4 million, but also my viable sperm levels increased to over 4%. Consequently, on the third and final role of the ICSI dice my son Sebastian was born in 2016. Three years later my wife and I decided to attempt to have one more child and repeating the same protocol resulted in our daughter Enya being born in 2020.

   

My mission as The Male Fertility PT is to work with as many men as possible, supporting and educate men facing the road of infertility on how to enhance and improve their health to optimise their fertility and help achieve their goal of fatherhood.

 

For me The Male Fertility PT is more than just exercise and lifestyle advice on an individual level. I want to start a movement around the positive discussions about male fertility and break down societal stigma linked to the topic.

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"Individually we can do great things, but together we can change the world"

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Ciaran Hannington 

The Male Fertility PT 

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