Male fertility

Male fertility investigations and treatment

Our male fertility service at Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals is a unique service for London, offering treatment of complex fertility problems in male patients such as surgical sperm retrieval, including those patients with a diagnosis of cancer.

For couples whose fertility issues involve male factors, we offer investigations and treatments for men, rather than simply offering IVF as the initial solution.

We investigate and treat male fertility issues, including:

• low or no sperm counts (azoospermia)
• normal count with poor sperm quality
• azoospermia: no sperm in the ejaculate
• abnormal hormone levels
• small or undescended testicles that do not produce enough sperm or testosterone
• infections
• dietary inadequacies
• sperm preservation and retrieval in male cancer patients

If you are having cancer therapy or other treatments that may make you infertile, we have a cryopreservation service through which you can store your sperm. We also offer testis sparing surgery for fertility preservation and specialised surgery to extract sperm for men with cancers.

Our consultants treat these issues with surgical procedures, for example to remove obstructions or retrieve sperm, or drug therapy to normalise hormonal levels. By treating these issues, our team can reduce the need for IVF. As the only European Academy of Andrology Training Center in London, our clinicians can access the latest research and education in andrology and topics relating to male health.

Our team

The male fertility service is led by Consultant Andrologist, Professor Suks Minhas, who has over 20 years' experience in the field of male fertility diagnosis and treatment. He works very closely with Dr Jayasena on a number of research areas in male fertility.

Professor Minhas is an international expert in male infertility specialising in both of the advanced techniques for sperm retrieval – microdissection testicular sperm extraction and testis sparing surgery. Professor Minhas, and his team, offer specialist investigation and treatment of male infertility. He is co-chair of the European Association of Urology Guidelines in male sexual and reproductive health, and is also a board member of the European society of Andrological Urology and is a key opinion leader in this field. 

Working closely with the Imperial Centre of Endocrinology (ICE), we have a strong research arm in male reproductive endocrinology, and links with Lord Winston’s reproductive biology unit. We are the only centre that considers the male endocrine situation simultaneously with the reproductive system and runs an integrated service with Dr Channa Jayasenna in the department of Andrology.