The Early Years: Why isn't there more research on Male Infertility?

Why are there such gaps in our knowledge when it comes to male reproductive health? Well as we continue with our Early Years theme we're in conversation with Rene Almeling - sociologist and author of a new book called Guynecology, a smart book with a smart title.

The Fertility Podcast is dedicated to giving a voice to male fertility issues, both with the expert interviews we share and inviting men to come and share their experiences. We also champion the importance for Men to be included in ALL fertility discussions, which we know often isn't the case.

Natalie came across Rene's book after reading an article in Elle magazine and didn’t hesitate to get Rene on the show as we needed to hear more about Guynecology!

Rene takes us back in history to explain why, until recently, men’s reproductive health was largely ignored. At the end of the 19th century, a move by US doctors to develop a male fertility speciality was ridiculed, mainly due to the stigma surrounding what was then in focus - venereal disease. In the 1960s another group of doctors developed the speciality Andrology but to this day Andrology is in no way near the established speciality like its female reproductive health equivalent.

A pet hate of Kate’s is that fertility clinics rarely work alongside each other, and Rene tells us about emerging research looking into paternal effects and why it is important to have more joined-up working. This new research suggests that the impact of age, lifestyle and exposure to chemicals, in the 2-3 months that sperm is developing, can damage sperm in a way that can impact not just fertility, but importantly the health of the child.

Rene talks about the importance of adding male fertility to the school curriculum and missed opportunities of talking to young men about their reproductive health. From her research into the topic, Renee concluded that we don’t need a whole new speciality of male reproductive health. We just need to take our umbrella of reproductive health and stretch it to cover men too.

Rene’s book is so interesting and if you have an interest in male fertility or you or your partner are struggling with male factor infertility then this is for you. You can also win Natalie's bookmarked copy ( with a lot of post notes for reference ) via her Insta

Please do review this episode via Apple Podcasts as we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Rene Almeling

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