Male Infertility

Some couples have trouble getting pregnant or are completely unable to do so. Often times one of the causes of this is the man – he has male infertility. Approximately 30% of couples that cannot get pregnant are due to male infertility.

Male infertility is diagnosed by measuring sperm count – a low sperm count is one of the symptoms. When a male ejaculates semen is released through the penis, but having a low/weak sperm count can cause the semen to be unable to fertilize the female egg, preventing pregnancy.

There are many causes of lower sperm count, such as infections, hormone disorders, genetics, and even something simple like wearing tight underwear can cause male infertility. Research also suggests smoking, alcohol, and illegal drugs can cause male infertility, as well as exposure to radiation or other dangerous substances.

Another cause of male infertility is having abnormal sperm, which have very short life spans and cannot swim the distance to the egg. This can be caused by abnormal development, inflammation of the testicles, and/or swollen veins in the scrotum. All of these cause an abnormally higher temperature in the scrotum which causes the sperm to be weaker and not produce as often.

If you suspect you have male infertility, you should speak to your doctor immediately, especially if you are trying to get pregnant. There are many tests that can quickly identify male infertility and modern science has provided a huge array of remedies for curing male infertility.

Most common remedies include medications, antibiotics, and hormone treatments. Failing that there are more advanced treatment options include surgery (depending on the cause of the male infertility to begin with).

Other treatments are also available, though these may be invasive or too expensive. This includes in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and use of sperm donor. In vitro fertilization involves the fertilization of the couple’s sperm and egg in a laboratory and placing the fertilized egg inside the female’s uterus. Artificial insemination, on the other hand, involves the collection of sperm and manually placing it inside the fallopian tubes or the female uterus to facilitate conception. A donor sperm can instead be acquired if there is no sperm production at all or there are other functional problems with the man’s sperm.

Generally, male infertility caused by an illness or genetic problems cannot be prevented. Although, there are different ways and means that you can do to reduce the chances of having infertility problems. One way is to avoid drugs, alcohol, and other poisonous substances. Live a healthy lifestyle and practice good hygiene.