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Andrology

Are you struggling to grow your family? Male-factor infertility could be affecting your ability to conceive. At Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, our andrology services can help you realize your dreams of parenthood. Our board certified fertility specialists in Omaha, NE, can provide semen analysis, sperm processing, and fertility preservation.

What Is Andrology? The Study of the Male Reproductive System

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Andrology is a branch of medicine that deals with the male reproductive system and urological problems. Andrology can cover a vast number of issues such as male infertility, sexual dysfunction, and male contraception.

Infertility Is Not Just a Woman's Disease

"New studies show that in approximately 40 percent of infertility couples the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility."

Let Us Help Grow Your Family

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The staff at our Omaha, NE, clinic understands the emotional toll of being unable to conceive. Our state-of-the-art facility is equipped with the latest reproductive technology so we can provide top-quality care and effective fertility treatments.

Our board-certified fertility specialists and entire staff take pride in putting their patients first. That is why we offer late and weekend appointments to better suit your busy schedule.

If you're ready to resolve your male infertility, contact our Omaha, NE, office online to schedule an appointment, or call:

402-717-4200

"Great Success" Why Our Omaha Patients Love Our Clinic

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Cassie Anton

2016

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So happy with the care I received here. Was new to the process and totally confused. They explained my health issues to me in great detail and were always there when I had questions. After tests and an IUI treatment we ended up pregnant with twins. Give them a try! You'll be happy you did.

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Melissa Dunn

2018

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Dr. Maclin is wonderful to work with and we found her bedside manner to be excellent. We had great success with Heartland.

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​Male Infertility?

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Before you have a semen analysis, one of our doctors will go over your medical history with you to see what could be causing your fertility issues. Factors that cause male infertility can be medical, environmental, or health-related.

Environmental Causes

All of us are exposed to multiple toxins every day. These toxins can contribute to sperm malfunction and lack of production. In addition, other environmental factors like heat and clothing can also be harmful to a patient's sperm. Let's take a closer look at some of these factors:
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Industrial Chemicals

Prolonged exposure to pesticides, herbicides, painting supplies, and other chemicals can contribute to a low sperm count.

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Radiation

While most men will return to normal sperm production after being exposed to radiation through an X-ray, prolonged exposure or a high dose of radiation can permanently reduce sperm production.

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Overheating

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures via hot tubs, saunas, working with your laptop on your lap, and wearing tight clothing could contribute to reduced sperm production.

Let Our Andrology Experts 

Help Your Family Grow

Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, PC is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care according to the highest medical standards with professionalism, compassion, and integrity. Everyone associated with our clinic treats each of our patients with honesty, respect, and kindness.

We understand how challenging dealing with infertility can be. We want to make your journey to starting your family as stress-free as possible. Contact our Omaha, NE, clinic to schedule an appointment.

402-717-4200

"A Great Support System"

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kimberly jensen

2021

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My experience with Heartland has been fantastic. We are so lucky to have two successful pregnancies. It was always sad to leave the team at Heartland but for the best reasons, we were pregnant! I would and have recommended Heartland to anyone trying to start a family. They are a great support system.

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Samuel Sidzyik

2021

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The nurses and doctors are wonderful to work with. Our IVF worked first try. We were lucky and had everyone there being hopeful without also having unrealistic expectations kept us hopeful and grounded. If you have to go here, you are already under quite a bit of stress. It's good to feel like the staff is on your side.

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Comprehensive Semen Analysis

 
The First Step in Identifying Male Infertility

To effectively treat your infertility, our Omaha practice will first need to understand what isn't working. Our andrology lab can provide a quantitative analysis of semen that will assess several key qualities:

Concentration of Sperm

Normal levels are higher than 20 million sperm per milliliter.

Total Sperm Count

Normal levels are greater than 40 million total sperm in the ejaculate.

Percentage of Mobile Sperm

Normal levels are 50 percent or higher.

The Shape of Sperm (Morphology)

At least 15 percent as normal by Kruger's strict morphology standards.

Volume

Normal ejaculation volume should be at least two milliliters.

Total Motile Count

The total number of moving sperm in each ejaculate should be at least 20 million motile.

Standard Semen Fluid Test

This test measures color, viscosity, and the time until semen liquefies against the norms established by the World Health Organization.

Other Specialty Testing

Specialty testing is also available for low mortality, no sperm, and round cell determination.

What Our Andrology Professionals Can Do For Your Family

Once our andrology doctors in Omaha have determined the potential cause or causes of your infertility issues, we can then plan an assistive reproductive technologies (ART) plan that will help you and your partner conceive.

Intrauterine Insemination Procedure

For couples dealing with mild male-factor infertility, intrauterine insemination may be the easiest form of assisted reproductive technology available. Just as in IVF, the woman's ovaries are stimulated with medication to induce multiple egg development. The semen is processed to remove all seminal fluids and cellular debris after specimen collection and, with the use of a very thin, soft catheter, is placed either in the cervix or high in the uterine cavity.

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Semen Cryopreservation

Cryopreservation is an effective method of storing sperm and semen for long periods while maintaining the viability of the sperm. The sample is cooled and stored in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -196C. For those struggling with male infertility, cryopreservation allows a couple to use the same sample of sperm for multiple attempts at pregnancy, or for use in artificial insemination at a later date.

Explore Fertility Preservation

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)


The sperm will need to be injected directly into the egg if the sperm has a low fertilizing capacity or their numbers are low for fertilization to occur. To do this, the mature egg is held in place with a specialized pipette. A very small hollow needle immobilizes and picks up a single sperm and inserts it through the shell of the egg, and the needle is then removed very carefully. The following day, the egg is checked for evidence of fertilization.

Explore ICSI
Sperm Donor

Third-Party Donation

Third-party donated sperm is available at our Heartland clinic in Omaha, NE. Donor insemination is another service we offer to help meet couples' unique fertility needs.

Sperm Processing For Insemination

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Before semen can be used for intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization procedures, it must be purified to separate the most useful, mobile sperm from any unnecessary seminal fluid, white blood cells, and cellular debris. Sperm processing also removes prostaglandins (lipid compounds that may cause cramping when injected into the uterus) from the semen. There are several methods of sperm processing, including the swim-up method, density gradient separation, and buffered washing.

The Swim-Up Method

This method of sperm processing is the most popular among fertility clinics. However, this process is only effective if the patient has a normal number of healthy sperm and may not be the best fit for those struggling with a low motile count.

This method uses a culture medium on top of the previously centrifuged sperm. This medium is a hospitable environment for the sperm so the healthy ones will make their way up to the suspension. This allows our doctors to select only motile sperm for insemination.

The Process Of Sperm Washing

Sperm washing is a simple method of sperm processing that separates healthy sperm from cellular debris, chemicals, and dead sperm in preparation for treatments like IVF.
"This entire procedure only takes between 20-40 minutes."

Day of Procedure

"This entire procedure only takes between 20-40 minutes."

Washing

Once your sperm sample has been collected, a wash containing proteins and antibiotics will be added to the ejaculate.

Centrifuge

The combination of the sperm sample and the sperm wash will be added to a centrifuge machine to separate the liquid components from one another. The sample will be spun several times before the separation is complete.

Collection

Once the centrifuge is complete, the healthy sperm will be left at the bottom of the test tubes for the doctors to collect.

Preservation

Once the healthy sperm have been collected, they will be placed in human tubal fluid (HTF) to preserve the specimen until insemination.

"I Cannot Imagine a Better Provider" Omaha Loves Our Fertility Clinic

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Sara Dale

2020

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I was a very fortunate to be a patient of Dr Constance and can not express how wonderful she is. After trying to conceive for two years, we were able to get pregnant after our first round of IVF. Highly recommend going to Heartland.

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Karrie Mitchell-Freeman

2020

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Dr. Constance is the best. From being knowledgeable to compassionate and everything in between, I cannot imagine a better provider. We are due with our miracle baby in April.

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Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine

Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine

Our board certified fertility specialists offer state-of-the-art fertility treatments. An open and inclusive environment, the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine can address different causes of infertility and help LGBTQ couples build loving families.

Contact our practice online or call us at (402) 717-4200 to schedule a consultation.

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