High school sweethearts Esther and Max Hackman wanted to start a family soon after they got married in 2023 – but after five months of negative pregnancy tests, they were concerned it would be more challenging than they initially thought.
Esther visited her doctor to determine if she had any issues that may be causing infertility, but she was cleared. So she turned to her husband, Max, asking him to take an at-home sperm test.
“I figured that it was a very small chance,” Max told “CBS Mornings” in an interview airing on Thursday, adding that having fertility issues never crossed his mind.
Breaking the stigma
He was shocked to see a low score pop up. His physician, Dr. Scott Lundy, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in male infertility, later confirmed Max’s count was 100 times lower than normal.
“I guess maybe it was just my pride. I would never think that that would happen to me,” Max said.
While the news came as a surprise to Max, it’s more common than most think. Male fertility issues contribute to nearly half of couples struggling to conceive, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some doctors say the stigma surrounding male infertility is exacerbating the problem.
“Society tells us a lot of inaccurate things about fertility, and it also has linked the idea of male infertility with masculinity. They’re not the same,” Dr. Lundy said. “And we really have to break that stigma because it’s harming patients and it’s harming couples.”
Causes of male infertility
Aside from medical conditions men are born with or develop, there are other everyday factors men need to be aware of that could contribute to low sperm count – like exposure to heat, heavy metals, certain medications, obesity, marijuana and testosterone use, sexually transmitted infections and more, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The leading anatomic cause of male infertility is varicocele, a swelling of a set of veins above the testicle. The condition affects between 15% to 20% of men in the U.S. — roughly 1 in 5 men, the Mayo Clinic says on its website.
“[It] causes either pain in the testicles, like a dull achy pain, or it causes infertility, or it causes lower testosterone,” Dr. Lundy explained.
Max had varicocele on both testicles, but Dr. Lundy was able to correct it surgically – and his sperm counts completely normalized. He recalls the relief he felt when he saw a message pop up from Dr. Lundy sharing “great news.”
“I was crying immediately. And it was a really, really special thing,” Max said.
Men who undergo a varicocele procedure, like Max, can see a significant improvement in sperm count and quality, the National Institutes of Health reports. It typically takes at least three months post-operation for the sperm to regenerate.
Shortly after Max’s surgery, Esther got her first positive pregnancy test. She gave birth to their son Patrick in March 2025. The Hackmans realize how fortunate they are, though Max is still working through the emotional toll of his experience.
“I still feel that kind of, you know, kind of tinge of shame, and embarrassment. But I think I can kind of do the mental gymnastics to kind of reframe it,” Max said. “But I think, you know, feeling the kind of pain and despair that I felt, I know that there are people out there feeling that exact same thing. And it kind of makes me feel like I didn’t suffer in vain if I can kind of leverage my own experience to kind of help get the word out and help them know that they’re not alone and that there is hope.”
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