What Is Male Infertility?
The fertility of a man basically relies on the quality and quantity of his sperm. If the number of sperm the person ejaculates is of poor quality or low, it becomes hard and even impossible for him to cause pregnancy. Male infertility is a common problem nowadays. For about 1 in every 5 infertile couples, the problem lies mainly in the male partner. It has been estimated that 1 in 20 men has some sort of fertility problem with low quantity of sperm in the ejaculate. And may be 1 in every 100 men have the problem of no sperm in the ejaculate.
There are no obvious symptoms of male infertility in most of the cases. Only when diagnosis takes place, the problem comes to the forefront. Erections, intercourse and ejaculation usually happens without any difficulty. The appearance and quantity of the ejaculated semen even looks quite normal to the naked eye.
There are several reasons as to why male infertility occurs. It has been found out that about 2/3rd of infertile men have a difficulty with making sperm in their testes. Either the sperm count is low or the sperm that are made are of not good quality as a result of which they do not work properly. Sperm transport problems are also common. It is found in about 1 in every 5 infertile men including men who suffered from vasectomy but now want to have children. Blockages in tubes leading the sperm away from testes to penis may cause a lack of sperm in ejaculated semen.
The other causes of male infertility include:
- sexual problems which affect whether semen can enter the vagina of the woman for fertilisation to occur
- low hormone levels made in pituitary gland which act on testes
- sperm antibiotics
Diagnosis for checking male infertility involves a medical history from the man as well as a physical examination along with analysis of semen for checking the number, movement and shape of sperm in ejaculate. Blood tests may even be done for checking the hormone levels, which control the production of sperm. Testicular biopsies and genetic investigations are also common.
1 in every 8 infertile men has a treatable condition. The treatment includes surgery, infections treatment, treating sexual intercourse problems, hormone treatments & medications, and assisted reproductive technology. Acupuncture has also proved to be effective in many cases for male infertility treatment. It has in fact helped a lot of men overcome infertility issues by improving their sperm production & motility.
To prevent male infertility from occurring, it is important for males to avoid cigarette smoking, heat stress form tight fit underwear, excess alcohol, infections that are sexually transmitted and anabolic steroids.
