Approximately 1 out of 8 couples struggle with the infertility issue and in half of them males health issues are the reasons. To understand more about this ‘male infertility’, let’s get deeper into the issue and various terms associated with it.
·
Male infertility – Male Infertility is referred as an abnormal
sperm count and lack of chances to get pregnant especially if it goes beyond
one year. Apart from number of sperm, the shape and movement of the sperms also
matters. Problem in any of this three areas can cause infertility issue in
males.
·
Normal Sperm Count – Sperms are tiny components and its sample
should contain millions of sperm and due to this, sperm is measured as
‘concentrations’. Generally sperm concentration should comprises millions of
sperms but if having 15 million sperm per milliliter is good sign.
·
Sperm motility- If the sperm count is good, high swimming of
sperms also important. Typically, a quarter of sperm swim, so if your sperm
count is very strong, you might have approximately 12.5 million sperms swimming
which increases the chances of pregnancy.
Can the patients who have zero
sperm counts be treated?
Treatments are available for people who have low sperm motility. There
are only one percent people who has no sperm and it’s very rare. However there
are treatment available for them as well. These patients often goes through
surgical procedures to get sperm that is used for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
Causes of sperm issues that sign
towards Male Infertility:
The most common cause of male infertility are the dilated blood vessels
around testicles which is called ‘varicocele’. Due to this condition, the temperature
inside the testicle could changes and affect the sperm production.
Other major cause of men infertility is abnormal testosterone. If a man is not able to make enough of his
own testosterone, this can affect sperm production. Or if a man takes testosterone
injections, this can interfere in the hormones pathways which are important for
sperm production and resulting in lowering sperm production.
There are other several causes of man infertility such as obesity and
poor health condition, excessive medications, genetic conditions, genital
infections, sexual dysfunction, environmental factors and unexplained fertility
Treatments available for all
these sperm issues and man infertility:
·
If sperm
count is good but have low motility, doctors intrauterine insemination (IUI)
procedure in which sperm is placed inside the woman’s uterus.
·
If there
is no sperm ejaculation, then doctors extract sperm from inside the testicles
and join it with egg through IVF.
It’s very rare that men talk about infertility or express themselves due
to the fear or anxiety as compare to women. Let them feel comfortable to talk
about it and assure them that you are there to listen and there is a solution
to it.