Reproduction is a very simple process and a natural experience for most of the couples. However, for some of the couples it may not happen as simply or naturally as it should be.
In a man, fertility generally depends on the quality and quantity of sperm. If there is a low sperm count or if the sperms are of an inferior quality, it may get difficult for a man to get his woman pregnant. Also, some other factors like an obstruction or an infection are other factors on which the fertility relies.
When problems related to reproduction are found in a male, it is termed as male infertility. Around 50% of the cases of infertility belong to the category of male infertility.
How Can You Tell If A Man Is Infertile?
There are no obvious signs of telling whether a man is fertile or infertile. The erections, intercourse and the ejaculation everything is fine in most cases. However, these factors cannot tell the story behind fertility. It is possible to have all of these to perfection and still suffer from infertility.
Generally speaking, there are no obvious symptoms of infertility in a man that might be visible to the naked eye.
Everything looks perfectly normal and feels the same. However, even after an unprotected sexual intercourse for an year, the female is unable to get pregnant, it indicates some fertility problem. Both the partners need to get tested for the same. If the problem is in the male, it is termed as male infertility and the treatment begins for the same.
Male infertility may be caused due to various reasons. However, most of the reasons belong to either of the two categories- sperm production or sperm delivery.When considering sperm production, many men presenting for infertility suffer from the problem of sperm-making.
- Either there is no sperm made at all or the sperm made is very low in quantity
- In some cases, even though the sperm is made in good quantity, they are not good in quality, meaning either their motility is hampered, or they are not normal morphologically
- Undescended testes are another cause of zero sperm production
- Torsion of the testes is yet another cause
- Varicocele may lead to no production of sperm
- Medications and exposure to certain chemicals may be a causative factor too
- Exposure to radiation can result in zero sperm production
- Chromosomal or genetic causes may be a reason too
- There are also some unknown causes for zero sperm production
In the problems related to sperm delivery, there are blockages in the tubes which stop the sperm from getting delivered to the right place:
- Infections can cause these blockages
- Prostate problems may also lead to blockages
- If vas deferens is absent it will be impossible to transport the sperm
- If vasectomy is performed it is not possible to deliver sperm to the place where it should
There might be other sexual problems, apart from these:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Premature ejaculation
- Lesser or an irregular frequency of intercourse
- Prostate surgery or prostatectomy
- Injury to surgery of the spinal cord
- Nerve damage
- There may be some hormonal problems due to which a man may suffer from infertility:
- Pituitary gland functioning problems like pituitary tumors
- Lack of luteinising hormone or follicle stimulating hormone
- Androgenic steroid excess use or abuse
Some other factors are:
Anti-sperm anti bodies production in the body, in which your own body targets the sperm as something bad for the body and starts destroying the sperm
- Auto-immune disease like lupus
- Epididymal infection etc.
- Sexually transmitted diseases
Male infertility is seen in half of the cases that present for infertility treatment. To know whether a man is fertile or not, some tests have to be done. It is possible to have erections; ejaculation, intercourse etc. perfectly and still suffer from infertility.
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