What Are The Main Causes For Male Infertility


Often times, men arrive to see an infertility specialist with their wives, waiting to hear the cause of female infertility — only to find that they are part of the problem. It’s estimated that 40% of all infertility difficulties are caused by a combination of male and female factors, and that men account for 30% of the issues. Male infertility is usually discovered when a couple unsuccessfully tries to conceive for 6 months to a year, but researchers may discover other previously unknown diseases, conditions, abnormalities and causes for male infertility. “Exposures to chemicals as a fetus may lead to adult diseases. Perhaps such exposures may be causing the changes in the sperm DNA,” says Rebecca Sokol M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California. She adds, “Studies to uncover a relationship between chemical exposures and alterations in sperm DNA should shed light on this.”

There are many possible causes or reasons for male infertility. Varicocele (enlarged scrotum veins) is found in 40% of all male infertility cases. The enlarged veins cause the scrotum temperature to increase, thereby affecting sperm production and quality. Cryptorchidism (the failure of the testicles to descend) is a common side effect of premature births, which may require corrective surgery. Retrograde ejaculation occurs when the nerves or bladder muscles malfunction, causing the sperm to seep into the bladder instead of moving down through the penis. Diseases like cystic fibrosis, cancer or autoimmune diseases seriously impair a man’s ability to father children as well.

Sometimes the infertility doctor will find an obstruction in the male reproductive system, such as a urinary tract infection, scarring from STDs, a tumor, an injury, a vasectomy or another anatomical defect. Occasionally, accidents or injuries damage male reproductive organs or hormone deficiencies interrupt sperm production. Certain medications taken for fungal infections, hypertension, cancer, gout, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers, depression and psychosis cause sexual dysfunction as a side effect.

Sometimes diseases are the causes for male infertility. Many autoimmune disorders cause the body to produce antibodies that attack sperm, for example. Liver disease, sickle cell anemia, kidney disease, the mumps and STDs like syphilis, gonorrhea and herpes disturb the normal functioning of the reproductive organs. Sometimes the reason for infertility is an infection in the actual sex organs, like prostatitis or epididymitis. In these cases, the man must first be treated for his disease, which may or may not improve his sperm production.

To prevent some of these causes for male infertility, a man should avoid drugs and medications known to cause infertility. They should try to eat diets with adequate folic acid and lycopene, and exercise moderately. They should avoid tight underwear, tight pants and an unprotected scrotum during athletic activities. They should avoid exposure to environmental hazards, avoid hot baths or excessive hot tub use and they should practice safe sex to avoid STDs. If they do develop an STD, they should seek treatment immediately. Diseases like diabetes or hypothyroidism should be managed under a doctor’s supervision. While there is no way to 100% prevent the need for a male infertility treatment, following these guidelines should minimize risk significantly.

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What Are The New Infertility Treatments

Success from infertility treatments has doubled in the past decade, experts say, mostly due to new innovative infertility methods and greater public awareness. “Often couples are told by family members, ‘Just relax and take a vacation, you will get pregnant,”’ says Denver infertility specialist Eric Surrey M.D. Unfortunately, that simply does not work with couples dealing with underlying infertility difficulties, like endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes or retrograde ejaculation. Medical intervention is wise, especially if young couples have been trying for a year without success or if couples nearing their forties have tried for about six months.

One of the most common treatments for infertility is to complete one to three cycles of ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination, says Guy Ringler M.D. By giving patients the drug Clomid, this will encourage women to produce more eggs. This method of treatment “will increase the pregnancy rate from about 3% per month to about 12-15% in women under age 40,” he says, “and to about 5-7% in those over age 40.” He says that most couples come to an infertility clinic requesting the more aggressive techniques because they don’t want to waste any time and the more invasive methods have proven to be more effective than medications.

Sometimes the cause of female infertility is unknown and the standard infertility treatments may not work — at which point, doctors may refer their patients to acupuncture specialists. Traditional Chinese medicine is growing in popularity, even though the results are mixed. One 2006 study showed that three acupuncture sessions before and after embryo transfer improved the fertilization rate, particularly in women over age 35. Another study revealed that acupuncture treatments boosted pregnancy rates by 10%. However, a third study showed that this complementary treatment showed no difference whatsoever. The benefit of acupuncture is that there are no adverse side effects. Even so, “It’s important that there is a dialogue between the reproductive endocrinologist and the Eastern practitioner if you are going to go along with a complementary treatment regimen,” advises endocrinologist Guy Ringler.

Many couples wonder what these newfangled infertility treatments will end up costing them. IVF treatments cost up to $12,000 per cycle, says the American Society for Reproduction Medicine. Ovarian stimulation plus intra-uterine insemination is about $500 to $1,000 per cycle. Depending on the state and the policy selected, some insurance companies will partially cover infertility services and procedures, while others will not. Currently, about 15 states have specific laws regarding treatment and insurance, says the National Infertility Association, but the laws vary, so couples should call the insurance commissioner’s office in their state to find out the details.

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What Are The Infertility Treatment For Men And Women

Before seeking infertility treatment, it’s important that the couple discuss the possibilities beforehand. How far is each participant willing to go? Will they try medication, but stop if surgery is necessary? Is a surrogate an option? Will the expenses be covered by insurance? Also, keep in mind that some male and female infertility difficulties are more easily treated than others. Women over the age of 35 will experience an increased risk of miscarriage and the chances of having a healthy baby decrease with each passing year. Even if a woman does eventually become pregnant, there is no 100% guarantee that the pregnancy will go smoothly or that the baby will be healthy. In some cases, the doctors cannot figure out why a particular couple is unable to conceive. While the story sounds grim, doctors have helped millions of couples have babies, after all.

The Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology says about 12% of women seeking treatment for infertility have depleted ovarian reserves. Medications like Clomid, Serophene and Milophene are usually the first line of action to stimulate the ovaries to release more eggs and thereby increase the chances of becoming pregnant. Sometimes a doctor will also prescribe Gonadotropins, which have less immediate side effects, but are also more expensive, more likely to result in twins and include a higher risk of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. If the woman is one of the 6% suffering from ovulatory dysfunction due to poly-cystic ovary syndrome, then she may take Metformin along with her Clomiphene. Unfortunately, pill-based infertility options do not always work. The next step is getting a hormone shot.

In about 5% of all cases, the cause of female infertility is endometriosis, which is a condition where the cellular tissue from the uterus irregularly grows in other parts of the body, causing bleeding, pain and infertility. In these instances, the doctor may recommend laparoscopic surgery to remove the displaced tissue. If there is severe endometriosis, then the only infertility treatment is in vitro fertilization, although even this procedure does not work as well in women with endometriosis. This condition is often viewed as a side effect of infertility, rather than a cause.

Women aren’t the only ones who require infertility treatment; infertility in men is not totally uncommon. In about 40% of all infertility cases, there is a male factor involved. The reasons for infertility in males include vasectomies, retrograde ejaculation (where the semen gets ejaculated into the bladder rather than out through the penis), or (more rarely) by hormonal imbalances. The doctor may try insemination first by collecting sperm and concentrating them to increase the number of healthy sperm for injection. If this doesn’t work, the doctor could recommend intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, where he will inject one of the male’s sperm into the woman’s egg in a laboratory and then implant the embryo into the woman’s uterus (like with IVF). For hormonal imbalances, a man may be treated with hormones or medication to stimulate the hypothalamus and pituitary gland into producing more sperm.

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QandA Infertility Help

Having a child is a wonderful experience for both a man and a woman. Both share in the up’s and downs of the pregnancy. But what happens if one or both partners are unable to have a child? Infertility is a common problem and it does cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Some people have to find infertility help. It is important to understand what infertility is and what kind of help is available. When you have the answers to the questions then you can make a more informed choice. In this article we will discuss some of the questions that may arise when you are considering pregnancy but are facing fertility problems.

What can cause infertility?

Many things can cause infertility. It could be a genetic condition where the male is not producing enough viable sperm. Infertility help specialists may also take a look at the woman’s ability to produce viable eggs or if there is scarring on the uterus and ovaries due to certain diseases. Infertility help specialists can run a battery of tests on both the man and woman to determine what is causing the problem with conception and carrying the child to term.

I do not have much money for infertility help. Will my insurance cover infertility treatments?

Whether or not your insurance will cover fertility treatments is entirely up to the insurer. Some policies do cover some infertility help specialist’s fees and procedures. But most do not. If you need to see an infertility help specialist you may have to pay for all of the procedures out of your own pocket. It can get expensive so you need to seriously consider your options with the specialist.

Where can I go online for infertility help?

Thanks to the internet there are a great many infertility help groups and organizations to be found online. You can check out www.mayoclinic.com to find reasons for infertility. You can also join groups on Yahoo that can suggest treatment options that you may not have heard of or considered yet. WebMD is another website you can check out for infertility help.

Is there infertility help for women who are over the age of 45?

The female body differs reproductively than the male body does. Most men continue to produce viable sperm all throughout their lives even as they age. A woman’s body, however, does not continue to produce viable eggs. As a woman ages her eggs age with her. This can lead to infertility problems after a certain age. That age differs from person to person. There was a point in time when infertility help for women over the age of 45 was not to be found. That has changed in recent years though and older women are getting the infertility help that they need.

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