Dr Stuart Hill
Medical Director, Merck Healthcare UK and Ireland
Young men rarely discuss fertility, yet there’s a cultural assumption that ‘everything will be fine’ when it’s time to conceive. However, 7% of men across the world experience infertility according to the World Health Organization.1
In the UK, one in seven couples have trouble conceiving, and in half of these couples, the problem may exist with the male partner.1 Because the focus is often on women, men rarely discuss their fertility struggles, leading many to face isolation, pressure and shame. Given the serious mental health challenges men face in the UK, it’s essential to address such issues and highlight available preventative and supportive measures.
Common men’s fertility risks
Young men across the UK benefit from extensive sex education but often remain unaware of how lifestyle choices can affect their future fertility. Risk factors include being overweight, excessive drinking, STDs, genetics, pollution, smoking, drug use and even tight underwear.
While men can reproduce into an older age, those under 40 are more likely to have healthy, successful pregnancies, making age an important factor in male fertility. Many of the above risk factors can be managed. The more we engage young men in conversations about fertility, the better equipped they will be to make informed choices about their future.
While men can reproduce into an older
age, those under 40 are more likely to
have healthy, successful pregnancies.
Fertility help is available
If there are challenges for men conceiving, there are many ways medical professionals can help. Tests range from blood and urine tests to semen tests or scans, for example. Meanwhile, treatments include many hormonal and surgical options. There is also emotional support available for men, such as from Fertility Network UK’s HIMFertility group.
Merck is a global leader in fertility and is proud to have helped over 5 million babies to be born.2 We strongly believe that by shifting the narrative for young people to include the full spectrum of choices from career to lifestyle andparenthood, we can offer them true empowerment to have more choices for their future — whatever they aspire to.
[1] World Health Organization, ‘Infertility prevalence estimates 1990–2021’. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/366700/9789240068315-eng.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed Oct 2024].
[2] British Association of Urological Surgeons, ‘Fertility Problems’. Available at: https://www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/4/fertility_problems/ [Accessed Oct 2024].
Job code: UI-NONPR-00159
Date of preparation December 2024
