When children do not appear, many people automatically think that the problem lies with the woman, but in one out of three cases it is actually the man's fault. Nevertheless, many men hesitate to check themselves. Now Synne Pernille Jakobsen and Chris Kristiansen share their story to break the taboo - and encourage couples to check themselves early.
After months without pregnancy, the couple were convinced that the challenge lay with Synne. She felt a strong sense of responsibility, frustration and sadness.
- I simply did not think that it could be me, says Chris.
- Infertility can affect both, and no one is more guilty than the other. Nevertheless, it is often the woman who is expected to "succeed" with the pregnancy, and who feels the responsibility when it doesn't work out, says Synne.
Affects one in 20 men
Around 15 per cent of all couples experience challenges conceiving, and in 30-40 per cent of cases the cause lies with the man. At the same time, sperm quality has declined significantly in recent decades.
- The fear of being looked down upon or feeling less masculine means that many choose to remain silent. That's probably a lot of the reason why so little is talked about, says Jackson Tok, fertility doctor at CMedical.
- I realized that this was not something I should be ashamed of, and that infertility does not define me. We haven't failed – we just needed a little help, says Chris.
What was a problem no longer became a problem
Fortunately, the couple took quick action and started an assisted fertilization process at CMedical. With intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the couple became pregnant on the first try. In addition, they have three frozen embryos.
- After the insertion, I immediately felt that there was life. It was an absolutely indescribable feeling to finally get pregnant, says Synne.
- What was a problem no longer became a problem. And I think, unfortunately, that there may be many men out there who have the same challenge, but don't dare to talk about it. There is no shame in getting help, and we must put that on the agenda, concludes Chris.
On intracytoplasmic sperm injection
ICSI is an advanced method in assisted fertilization that is used when sperm quality is reduced. In ICSI, a single sperm cell is directly injected into the egg with a thin micropipette to increase the chances of fertilization.