Former footy gun opens up on how he overcame azoospermia and welcomed a baby through IVF

Former Richmond and Fremantle player Reece Conca tells of his battle with infertility and the new IVF technique that allowed him to have a child.

Former AFL player Reece Conca and fiancee Annabelle Grace have welcomed a beautiful baby boy, marking the end of a heartbreaking four-year journey with infertility.

Their son, Giovanni “Gio”, was born in the early hours of December 10, a special Christmas gift for the Geelong-based family who describe his birth as the most joyous moment in their lives.

Conca, 32, played for the Richmond Tigers and Fremantle Dockers and is now Player Development Manager at Melbourne Football Club.

He was diagnosed with azoospermia, a condition where a male produces no sperm, and is now helping to bring awareness to male infertility and the impact it can have on men’s mental health.

Former AFL player Reece Conca will celebrate son Gio’s first Christmas on Wednesday. Picture: David Caird

“I want men to know that they are not alone through their journey,” Conca said. “There’s so many different avenues and support networks, and I think providing or setting up that network around you with family and friends and professionals is really important.”

He also wants to encourage men to allow themselves to be vulnerable about their infertility and to speak out.

“The more support you can have around you, the easier it will be,” Conca said. “Male infertility doesn’t make you any less of a man, don’t let it define you. I struggled with that a lot early on.”

Reece Conca in his days playing for the Tigers. Picture: Michael Klein

He said Gio was a long-awaited first grandchild for both sides of the family which would make Christmas Day extra special.

“It has been relatively smooth sailing so far,” Conca said. “Gio is really healthy, that’s the main thing.”

He said both he and Annabelle felt fortunate that thanks to a relatively new IVF technique known as microTesticular Sperm Extraction (microTESE), they had fulfilled their dream of a family.

This is a delicate surgical procedure that retrieves sperm from within the testicle.

Melbourne IVF fertility specialist Dr Manuela Toledo says Conca sharing his story to raise awareness is ‘incredibly important’. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Fertility expert Dr Manuela Toledo said it was “incredibly important” that someone with such a high profile as Conca told his story to raise awareness.

She is a fertility specialist at Melbourne IVF, which is part of Virtus Health and where Conca was treated.

Dr Toledo said often in fertility discussions the focus was on the female. “And sometimes the men just get left behind,” she said.

“So it’s really important to understand that in up to 50 per cent of cases of infertility in a couple there’s a male factor component and you can’t tell by just looking at someone.”

She said Conca was a perfect example.

“He is a young man who is fit, healthy and playing sport at an elite level,” Dr Toledo said.

“There’s nothing in his history to suggest that he should have had male factor infertility, so that’s why it’s so important to get those initial sperm tests done.”

She said a lot of men feel like they’re going to be judged when they have a sperm test.

“We’re putting their sperm under the microscope and they feel like we’re putting them under the microscope,” Dr Toledo said. “The reality is that sperm nowadays is half as good as it was 50 years ago.”

She said environmental factors, diet and lifestyle were to blame.

Former Richmond Tigers and Fremantle Dockers player Reece Conca and son Gio at home. Picture: David Caird

“In a lot of men it can be reversed, especially in those with mild abnormalities on their semen analysis. Also, we would never base our decisions on a single sperm test. Because like all of us, sperm can have good days and bad days.

“If a sperm test comes back and it’s not at a perfect level, we would repeat it in six weeks as often it will bounce back.”

She said taking a multivitamin with zinc can help as zinc was good for sperm function.

“And we suggest men clean up their lifestyle like cut out junk food, reduce alcohol and stop smoking. If you take all of those factors out, often their sperm bounces back remarkably.”

For some men, like Conca, she said that despite very healthy lifestyles, they produce no sperm.

“That is not uncommon,” Dr Toledo said. “(But) Reece and Annabelle have done so much to get that message about male infertility out there and it will really benefit a lot of other couples in similar situations.”

Reece Conca and fiancee Annabelle Grace with son Gio, whose birth ended a heartbreaking four-year journey with infertility. Picture: David Caird

Conca said he wanted to share his story now because it was Christmas.

“It is such a wonderful time of year with family and connection and joy, but for people going through (infertility) struggles, it can be difficult,” he said. “That was always a period of the year that Belle and I really struggled.

“Just really lean into your family and your support around you because it is really important to still enjoy the good things in life around you and the people around you.

“We obviously had a really long infertility journey, full of lots of downs, and then the ultimate joy in Gio coming.

“The joy he’s brought since his birth has been amazing. That’s another reason why I wanted to speak out again, just to provide that extra bit of hope for couples going through the struggle, especially around Christmas time.”

Originally published as Former footy gun opens up on how he overcame azoospermia and welcomed a baby through IVF