Male infertility, or more correctly male subfertility, has long been thought to contribute to around 50% of couple infertility. In the light of the growing number of men presenting at infertility clinics, the rise in ICSI procedures compared to IVF, and the well documented and now incontrovertible steady decline in sperm counts and quality, this figure now appears to be rising. In fact the possible decline in male infertility reflects a wider crisis for men, with signs of similar increases in the incidence of testicular cancer, cryptorchidism and hypospadias.

There is very little that can be done in Western medicine to treat impaired sperm count and quality. If the male partner is subfertile, therefore, assisted reproduction techniques are generally advocated, with their requirement that the female partner takes fertility-enhancing medication. These procedures can be prolonged, exhausting and damaging to male self-esteem.

Fortunately, from clinical experience and a growing number of clinical studies, it is clear that acupuncture can often increase sperm count, motility and morphology.

In this presentation, we will take a Western medicine overview of male infertility, and then look at Chinese medicine pattern differentiation and treatment. We will review the use of the semen analysis as a 'before' and 'after' guide to treatment and discuss the overall treatment plan. Finally we will review the existing clinical studies into the treatment of male infertility by acupuncture.