Battle of Fatherhood : Victory over Male Subfertility | Anil’s Story

It’s crucial to have a conversation about men’s reproductive concerns which is not talked much

A childhood injury altered his family-building experience forever, Anil shares his journey through being diagnosed with male factor infertility, becoming a father, and why he’s decided to be open about his story.

Meet Anil

Anil grew up and did his education in Jodhpur, He then joined his father in family business.

 “Esha and I met at a family gathering, and after a 1 year relationship we tied knot.”

Thinking About the Future

“I was busy in my business expansion and It wasn’t until 3 years that we started having discussions about growing our family,” Anil says. ” Although I regret to say that I wasn’t entirely in favour of the notion, we quickly determined that we were prepared to become parents..”

Being Diagnosed with Male Factor Infertility

“About trying for about 8-9 months we decided to visit doctor to ask about fertility testing. I was especially concerned about diagnostic testing since I had an injury to genitals while bicycle riding  as an adolescent that may impact my future fertility.”

Anil and Esha consulted a gynecologist for the same who told them to wait for a few more months. but Ob insisting a fertility work up was done and his sperm report had some issues probably due to that injury. Anil says. “I was started on Clomid [a medication that can be used to increase FSH and LH in men, and while my sperm levels increased, they never reached a level that would allow us to conceive naturally.”

Their First Fertility Clinic Experience

Before they found Vasundhara Fertility, Anil and Esha worked with a different fertility clinic, who recommended they pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF). “We got scared of the IVF. It was probably hard to accept for me and my wife.”

After that, we decided to look elsewhere for help building our family. Their search led them to Vasundhara. “The initial conversations we had with the nurses and doctors [at Vasundhara] gave us a positive indication that our experience here would be more personal,” he recalls. 

Embracing Parenthood After Struggle

Thankfully, the couple was eventually able to conceive with the help of IVF and the team at Vasundhara. They welcomed their long-awaited baby girl, Siya, in July 2022 and were overjoyed to finally become parents.

As their daughter grew, They decided to begin planning for a second baby, which led them back to Vasundhara. “It has been a completely different experience this time around,” Anil says.

This isn’t uncommon for parents after infertility. Fertility warriors are almost expected to be endlessly grateful and constantly acknowledging how blessed they are to be having a baby after fertility treatment, but some parents-to-be simply want to move forward with pregnancy and finally have a somewhat “normal” experience.

Thoughts on Male Factor Infertility

“I don’t know what finding out earlier would have done, but it’s definitely, A big source of guilt during my journey was the burden I placed on my wife ” Anil says.

Another difficult experience? 

Anil says. “Before I became a dad, Father’s Day would turn my daily anxiety about our infertility from a 10/10 to an 11/10.” He’s not alone in feeling this way – holidays can bring up difficult emotions for those struggling to become parents.

Why He Shares His Journey

Despite the difficulties he faced on his way to become a father, Anil strives to use his story to encourage and help other guys who are facing infertility problems of their own or a partner’s.

“If this is giving you stress, you’re not alone,” Anil offers. “In fact, you should share your struggle with your buddies, might be he is also fighting the same battle and finds his way through you!”

Anil thus says while men experience a different kind of pain than their partners, it’s crucial for them to talk openly about their man’s infertility because they go through a lot of pain during the process.

Anil encourages those in similar situations to not be afraid to connect with other men about infertility. Not everyone will deal with their emotions in the same way, but support is out there, and there are lots of helpful resources to explore.