Male Factor

Over the years, a misconception has prevailed that only women have significant trouble conceiving. Still, with changing times and awareness, issues of male infertility factors are constantly coming to light, and men are coming forth for treatments.

Quality and Quantity are Important

• Poor sperm count or none plays a significant role in male infertility, along with low sperm quality.
• Sperm quality in terms of good morphology of the sperm has a higher success rate in fertility.
• A higher quantity of sperm may not always guarantee better quality.

Male infertility is divided into three categories:

• Pre-testicular

  This is concerned with hormonal imbalance.

• Testicular

  This relates to undescended or small testes.

• Post-testicular

  This occurs due to blockages of tubes.

Physical Factors

Apart from the factors mentioned above, certain physical factors affect fertility, such as:

• Erectile and ejaculatory problems
• Infections of the testes
• Stress

Causes of Male Infertility

The following are common causes of male infertility:

• Varicocele
  This is an abnormal group of bulging veins situated above the testicle. This abnormality accounts for 38% of male infertility cases.
• Genetic defects
• Using certain illicit drugs
• Undescended testicle
• Infections in the testicle causing fever
• Hormonal problems
• Infections of the past or present
• Exposure to toxins
• Anti-seizure medicines or anabolic steroids
• Overheating the testicles
• Trauma to the testicles
• Undergone a vasectomy or major pelvic or abdominal surgery
• Congenital fertility disorder or having a relative with a fertility disorder
• Infertility because of drug or alcohol abuse

Symptoms of Male Infertility

The main symptom of male infertility is that even after a man tries to impregnate his wife for about a year, she does not become pregnant. Apart from this, there are a few more symptoms of male infertility:

• The inability to produce sperm cells
• Producing sperms of low quality
• Sperms die before fertilizing the egg
• Diabetes, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and other such medical conditions

Self-Help Treatments for Male Infertility

Apart from medical treatments, you can get over male infertility on your own, such as:

• Give up smoking tobacco and drugs
• Reduce your alcohol intake to two drinks per day
• Don’t use whirlpools and hot baths
• Don’t take testosterone or androgen drugs over the counter
• Eat nutritious food
• Sleep well