Doctors consider Male Factor Infertility as a leading cause of why couples can’t conceive. Of all the couples wanting to conceive, that have unprotected sexual intercourse on a regular basis during her most fertile time before ovulation each cycle, without the use of any contraception for at least a year, and still not able to get pregnant, studies indicate that over 50% of the failure rate is caused by male factor infertility.
Nearly half of all male factor infertility cases are known to be caused by sperm defects. It can be difficult to know if the defect is the only reason or just contributes to the failure to conceive, though research has shown that failure rates due to infertility involving both the male and female is less than fifteen percent. Possible male factor infertility defects include an abnormally low sperm count (oligospermia), or non-existing sperm (azoospermia).
The male factor infertility might also be caused by low motility sperm rate (how active and speedy the sperm moves), or a blockage of the delivery system, not allowing the sperm to be released through ejaculation. Infectious diseases and conditions like the mumps virus that cause inflammation are also know causes for male factor fertility, as well as a long list of congenital abnormalities.
Additionally, these causes can also be a risk factor of male infertility:
- Environmental toxins – exposure to toxic substances at work such as mercury, ethylene oxide, vinyl chloride, radioactivity, x-rays, cadmium and lead.
- Cigarette and marijuana smoke (including second hand smoke)
- Heavy alcohol use
- Extreme high temperature exposure to the testicles
- Testicles that have not descended
- Heavy use of prescription and on-the-street medications
- Trauma to the testicles
- History of genital infection
- Mumps after puberty
Diagnostic testing to determine the cause of male factor infertility would first include a physical examination along with taking a complete medical history of the patient. Test might include a multiple semen analysis (collection of semen samples on two separate days) to determine various factors such as semen volume, total sperm count, sperm motility, sperm morphology (the size, shape and normalcy), acid and alkaline (pH) balance, and various other tests to rule out any factors that may be causing or contributing to the infertility such as diseases of the male reproductive organs or any sperm abnormalities.
Some risk factors causing male infertility may be difficult or impossible to restore, however many are repairable and reversible. Sometimes simply by reversing lifestyle choices, improving eating habits, reducing stress and protecting yourself from toxins, along with taking male fertility supplements, and perhaps using medication prescribed by your doctor you can increase you fertility levels, improve your overall reproductive health and contribute healthy active sperm to conceive your newborn.
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