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Male Fertility Matters

Arjun and Mira was seating in front of me at Apollo Fertility Borivali Mumbai. They are visiting me after three failed IVF cycles at some other institute. They came to me in hope of starting family, frustration clouded their faces. Like many, they had assumed the issue was with Meera. But I had a different story to tell—one that stretched back to history.

“Did you know,” I began, “that Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s greatest military minds, couldn’t produce an heir with his wife Josephine?”
Arjun raised an eyebrow. “But didn’t he have children later?”

“Yes,” I smiled. “But not with Josephine. Historians believe it was his fertility that was the problem early on. Later reports suggest his sperm quality was affected by stress, poor diet, and maybe even sexually transmitted infections—things we now know can influence male fertility.”

The room grew quiet.
“Let’s talk about your sperm, Arjun,” I continued gently. “Sperm health isn’t just about count. Motility, shape, and DNA quality matter. Even in IVF, where we inject sperm directly into an egg, poor sperm quality can affect embryo development and pregnancy success.”
Arjun was surprised. “But nobody ever mentioned that. Isn’t IVF supposed to bypass sperm problems?”
“To some extent, yes,” I nodded. “We use ICSI to overcome issues like low motility. But if the DNA in the sperm is fragmented—due to smoking, stress, or even heat exposure from laptops—it can lead to poor-quality embryos or miscarriages.”
“So what can I do?” Arjun asked.
“Plenty,” I said. “Start with your lifestyle. Eat antioxidant-rich foods, avoid smoking and alcohol, reduce stress, and give your body time. Sperm take 2–3 months to regenerate.”

I paused. “If even Napoleon had understood male fertility better, perhaps history would’ve taken a different turn. And for you, Arjun, understanding this now could change your family’s future.”

Meera reached for Arjun’s hand, a spark of hope returning to her eyes.
Thereafter I advise Arjun to stop smoking completely. I started him on some antioxidant as well as on some hormonal medications. He also did 360 lifestyle change. We did do semen analysis every month. Then when his sperm count was increased and DNA fragmentation decreased, we start with IVF cycle. We got good 2 healthy embryo. We did transfer it and finally his wife conceived with twins. Both twins delivers healthy and fine.
Moral of the Story:
Male fertility is not a footnote in the IVF journey—it’s half the story.