What causes male infertility?
Infertility is the inability to conceive.
How to get a male fertility doctor in South Africa. Male infertility is defined as the lack of sperm production in the testicles or lack of sperm motility, or the inability to deliver sperm. It can also result from low testosterone levels.
About 40% of all infertility cases are caused by male factors alone, and about 30% are caused by a combination of both male and female factors. The remaining 30% are caused by female factors alone.
At least 90% of all male-factor infertility cases can be treated with assisted reproductive techniques (ART). These include intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), which are usually performed at a fertility clinic.
A fertility specialist is a health care professional who focuses on helping people conceive a child. Fertility specialists are also known as reproductive endocrinologists (REs) or reproductive urologists.
A fertility specialist is a type of doctor who has extensive training in diagnosing and treating fertility problems. They can perform procedures like IUI and IVF, and work with patients to create a treatment plan that meets their needs.
Ovulation disorders. Approximately 25 percent of all cases of infertility are related to a woman not ovulating (the release of an egg from the ovary). Anovulation may be caused by many factors, including abnormal functioning of the hypothalamus or pituitary glands. Many women with anovulation have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a hormone imbalance problem that can interfere with normal ovulation. Less common causes of anovulation include tumors and injuries affecting the reproductive organs.
Fallopian tube damage or blockage. The fallopian tubes are the pathways in which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus. If the fallopian tubes are damaged, sperm may be unable to reach an egg. Likewise, if an egg can’t travel through a fallopian tube to the uterus, it can’t be fertilized by sperm. Causes of fallopian tube damage or blockage include endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), previous ectopic pregnancy or surgical procedures such as tubal ligation (when tubes are tied and cut).
You, your partner, or both of you together may have fertility problems. The good news is that there are many treatments for male infertility. If you’re worried about infertility, see your doctor. Early treatment increases the chance of success and can be less stressful and less expensive than waiting to get help.
Causes of male infertility
Infertility in men can be caused by different factors and is typically evaluated by a semen analysis. A specialist will evaluate the number of sperm (concentration), motility (movement), and morphology (shape). Sometimes additional specialized tests will be required to further evaluate the sperm, including DNA damage and white blood cells in the semen. Most commonly, infertility is caused by problems with making sperm, although low sperm count alone does not necessarily cause infertility. Other causes include:
Immune problems
A varicocele (enlarged vein) in the scrotum, can affect the temperature in the testicles
Low hormone levels
Genetic defects
Cancer treatment, including surgery and radiation therapy
Male infertility is caused by low sperm production, abnormal sperm function or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm. Illnesses, injuries, chronic health problems, lifestyle choices and other factors can play a role in causing male infertility.
In some men, a condition called varicocele causes enlarged veins in the scrotum. This may lead to decreased production of healthy sperm, unlike most other causes of male infertility.
Infertility is when a couple can’t get pregnant (conceive) even though they’ve had regular, unprotected sex for a year or longer. In women, infertility causes may be associated with ovulation disorders, blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis and uterine fibroids. In men, infertility involves a low sperm count or abnormally shaped sperm. But some people who have fertility problems don’t have any obvious signs of infertility.
The good news is that infertility can usually be treated with medication (such as drugs to stimulate ovulation) or surgery (such as removal of fibroids). For example, the problem may be with the ovaries, so the doctor might prescribe fertility drugs. Or there may be an issue with the fallopian tubes, so in vitro fertilization (IVF) could be recommended.
Many fertility treatments are successful in helping couples conceive. But IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures aren’t 100 percent effective, so multiple cycles may be needed before pregnancy occurs.
But a new crop of doctors is bringing their own perspective to the business.
The number of men working in reproductive endocrinology and infertility is on the rise, according to a 2016 study in Fertility and Sterility. The study also found that male doctors were more likely to be single and childless than women in the field.
Some doctors say that male infertility specialists are seeing a growing number of patients — particularly millennial couples who want to conceive without medical intervention.
A 2004 study published in the medical journal Human Reproduction found that men accounted for 40% of infertility cases. By contrast, women account for roughly 30% of infertility cases, with both partners involved in another 30% of cases.
What causes infertility? The main causes of infertility are ovulation disorders, blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, endometriosis and male factor infertility.
Ovulation disorders
The most common cause of female infertility is ovulatory problems. About 25% of couples who can’t get pregnant have problems with ovulation. If you don’t ovulate, you can’t get pregnant.
A woman becomes fertile when she starts to ovulate regularly. This usually happens when she has her menstrual period every 28 days or so. Many women don’t know whether they are ovulating or not. You may think that you are having a regular menstrual cycle, but not be releasing eggs each month (you aren’t ovulating).
Anovulation (not ovulating) is the most common cause of female infertility in the United States. Women who are not ovulating properly may have irregular or absent menstrual periods. This can be caused by a number of factors including polycystic ovarian syndrome, hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia (high levels of prolactin in the blood).
Infertility is a term doctors use if a woman hasn’t been able to get pregnant after at least one year of trying. If a woman keeps having miscarriages, it’s also called infertility.
About 10 percent of women (6.1 million) in the United States ages 15-44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A male infertility specialist focuses on helping men with fertility issues or sexual dysfunction. Many have completed additional training and are board-certified in the field of urology, reproduction and infertility. A male fertility specialist can help males address issues related to erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, abnormal sperm shape or motility.
There are many factors that can lead to male infertility, so it’s important to have a thorough evaluation done by a qualified medical professional before trying any type of infertility treatment.
Infertility is a major problem for couples all over the world, with an estimated 48.5 million couples struggling to conceive. Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year for most people, or six months if a woman is 35 or older. Women are usually able to get pregnant until around age 50, while men can father children well into their 60s and beyond.
It’s possible to be fertile and not even know it. But in some cases, infertility may pose a problem — but one that can often be overcome with medical intervention.
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