Male Infertility
Uploaded by mumsa1 on Mar 13, 2012
Male infertility can have many possible underlying causes, but is most commonly caused by semen abnormalities.
In this article:
What is male infertility?
Effect on your life
Advice & Support
Causes
Treatment
Diagnosis
How Chemist Online can help
What is male infertility?
Male infertility is where a man is unable to produce offspring, usually as result of an inability to produce a sufficient amount of healthy sperm.
The good news is that, although there are no guarantees, there are treatments that can help a number of people with male infertility.
Causes
The most common causes of male infertility are low sperm counts, sperm abnormalities, and recurrent impotence. However, other causes can include lifestyle issues, such as:
being overweight
smoking
recreational drug use
excessive alcohol consumption
stress
poor diet
some herbal supplements, such as: St John’s Wort, cotton and androstenedione (a natural steroid)
lack of exercise, and
environmental factors, such as working for long periods with particular types of solvents and pesticides
Fertility problems can also be the result of sexual problems, side-effects of medication, the type(s) of contraception you and your partner were using prior to trying to conceive, and also if you have undergone a course of chemotherapy treatment (which can affect sperm counts and, in some cases, create sperm abnormalities).
Diagnosis
If you are a man and have been experiencing fertility problems for up to a year, then consider making an appointment with your GP. He or she will take your medical history (and social history) and ask you some questions, such as: for how long you and your partner have been trying to conceive, and if your partner is also experiencing fertility problems (due to things such as her medical history, lifestyle or previous pregnancy complications).
Your GP may then carry out a physical examination of your testicles and penis, to check for things such as lumps, deformities and/or structure abnormalities. You may also be asked to provide a semen sample for analysis of your sperm count, and also a Chlamydia test (a Chlamydia infection can cause swelling and tenderness in the scrotum, impacting negatively upon ejaculation and overall healthy sperm production).
Effect on your life
For most couples, male infertility can be extremely stressful, emotionally draining and physically taxing – putting their relationships under enormous strain.
Many men find that counselling and joining a support group helps.
Treatment
Male infertility treatments include:
Erectile dysfunction therapy
Hormonal treatments for low sperm counts
A procedure called Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) where a needle is used to release trapped sperm in the testicles
Assisted conception techniques, such as: donor insemination and IUI...