Males can be infertile too, so why blame the females??
Male infertility is rampantly on the rise. Male infertility affects at least 60% to 70 % of couples who present for an infertility evaluation.
If the male partner is not producing enough adequate sperms that are alive and actively swimming forward, then conception cannot occur.
Interestingly the causes of male infertility are numerous!! A few are given below:
- Hormonal problem: low testosterone secretion or low FSH or low LH
- Blockage or obstruction in the reproductive tract preventing the sperms from reaching the semen
- Difficulty in Erection
- Difficulty in ejaculating
- Any previous surgery or infection
- Retrograde ejaculation wherein the semen is ejaculated into the bladder instead of the penis
- Low sperm count
- Low sperm mobility: unable to reach the egg on time
- Abnormally shaped sperms
- Undescended testes
- Varicocele or varicose veins of the testes
- Anti-sperm antibodies that destroy the sperms
- Certain medicines or chemotherapy
- Genetic defects
- Infertility due to no identifiable cause
Treatment:
- Medications: Certain hormonal imbalances, infections, difficulties with erection or ejaculation, etc can be treated by prescribing medications and are fairly easy to treat.
- Surgery: For Varicocele or any obstruction in the tract, surgeries may be able to correct the defect and restore fertility.
- Assisted reproduction: When the infertility is not treatable, the man can still father a child by means of some advanced medical technology.
A few of them are highlighted below:
a. (Intrauterine Insemination) IUI: If the sperms are healthy but are unable to meet and fertilize the egg due to mild male factor infertility, IUI can be adopted wherein the sperms are processed, concentrated in a specialized media and then injected into the female uterus near the time of ovulation for increasing the chance of a pregnancy
b. IVF: Over here, Sperms are taken from the male and fertilized with the female eggs in a laboratory dish under specialized culture conditions that mimic the mother’s womb and the fused embryo is then, transferred into the uterus 3 to 5 days after the culture.
c. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection: For men with extremely low sperm counts, a single healthy sperm is injected directly into the egg by means of a tiny needle in a dish under a specialized device called the micromanipulator. The embryo formed is again cultured for three days and then transferred in the mother’s womb.
d. Sperm donor: In patients where no sperm is found in the ejaculate, a diagnosis of azoospermia is made. For these men, sperm donation can be a cost-effective treatment strategy.
e. TESE -ICSI: For men who definitely want their own biological child, sperms can be retrieved from the testis directly through surgery even if they are not found in the ejaculate. These sperms are then injected into the egg directly for making an embryo.
In some cases of sexual problems were erection or ejaculation is the cause of infertility, proper counseling, sex education, medications can play an important role in combating the issue.
Home-tips: To boost fertility, the following easy tips have been quite useful for most of the men.
- Avoid consumption of tobacco, alcohol, caffeine or any recreational drugs.
- Quality sleep and diet
- Moderate exercise
- Avoid hot baths or tight fitted clothes as that maintains a healthy temperature down there.
- No steroids for weight-training or stamina building.
Becoming a father is a big responsibility and a bigger blessing. Take care of your health for stress-free parenthood!!
Author: Dr. Shah Dupesh 
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