LARGO, Fla. — For Josh and Nicole Goldstein, the journey to parenthood started in 2019—but they soon realized something was wrong.
"We had tried for a while; it wasn't working," said Josh.
Testing revealed fertility issues caused by several medical procedures that Josh had undergone.
"When I was two or three months old, I had a hernia procedure, and some of the scar tissue from the procedure caused a blockage, and then 2008, I had testicular cancer," said Josh.
Data from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) shows that a male partner plays some role in up to 40 percent of infertility cases. But a quick Google search shows that much of the research and discussion on the topic centers mostly on female infertility.
"In the beginning, we didn't really tell anyone what was going on because we were navigating it," said Nicole, "I mean, it was really scary; we really didn't know where to go. I had friends that had gone through before. Mostly female infertility."
And it's a journey of isolation that Lindsey and Dawid Czerniawski can relate to.
"You maybe feel like an outlier, which makes you feel like this journey will be impossible, and you can't talk to other people about that," said Dawid Czerniawski.
The couple says they're still on their journey to parenthood almost a year after receiving devastating news.
"We were able to come to a conclusion that I was a carrier of cystic fibrosis. Which is why I was unable to have children the normal way, I guess I can say," said Dawid, "It makes you think as a man, am I really the perception of a man? I can't even hypothetically reproduce like everyone else out here. So that was a tough pill to swallow."
Dr. Jonathan Beilan is a local urologist specializing in male infertility—and he says much of the isolation that both couples initially faced can be traced back to how we as a society think about fertility and *what it means to "be a man."
"I think part of the stigma is that fertility is such a female-driven factor. It's almost their responsibility, which is completely a falsehood. It's a couple's thing where we go into together as a partnership," he said, "So many men avoid doctors in general or just don't talk about their sexual function or fertility because it's a machismo-thing; you're trying to talk about their manhood."
Regarding the causes of male-factor infertility, Dr. Beilan tells us the range is wide—but treatments often fall into three categories: lifestyle changes, surgery, or medication.
"When a patient comes into my office, it's my job to identify what's causing this male factor [in]fertility. Can we identify it, and can we reverse it or help correct it?" he said.
But to get more men into offices like his, Dr. Beilan adds that we all have to change our thinking.
"I think we have to re-think the concept of seeking help and seeking a provider or looking at professional advice. These days 'Dr. Google has such a big role to play in all of our lives, and that'll take you so far, but nothing will take the place of speaking to a physician, having that physical exam, and having that work-up done by someone who is an expert in that field," he said.
It's a mindset change that the Czerniawskis say ultimately helped them address fertility issues, and they're now moving forward with IVF.
"It feels so amazing like we, there was a long period of time where we did not know if we could have children, so it's great!" said Lindsey.
And for the Goldsteins, a fertility work-up, surgery, and IVF helped them get their daughter Harper into the world in 2022.
She started walking two months ago, so walking has progressed from speed walking to almost running. She has her hands in everything, so we've had to lock up lots of things," said Josh.
"I feel like we cherish every individual moment, and still to this day, we look at her and like, 'I can't believe you're here, and you're ours,'" said Nicole.
The Goldsteins are now discussing baby number two.
According to national data 10-to-15 percent of all couples will struggle with some form of infertility.
And a recent study published in the Human Reproductive Update claims that men's problem is getting worse. According to that study, global sperm counts were cut in half between 1973 and 2018—researchers are still trying to pinpoint why that is.
It's a statistic that has heated debate within the fertility industry, so we asked Dr. Beilan about it.
"The trends are concerning because if they were indeed dropping off by a significant amount, we could expect increased co-morbidities—meaning unhealthiness within our patient population. And it's difficult to hash out is this because family building now occurs at an older age in general or the population, in general, is becoming less healthy as we age. Or is this because of the way the data is interpreted from the 1970s to the 2020s," he said.
