Male Infertility
Male and Female Infertility
A few things need to take place before a successful pregnancy can take place:
- The female body needs to produce a healthy egg
- The male body needs to produce healthy sperm
- The female ovaries needs to release the healthy egg and the egg needs to be successfully transported to the womb
- The male testes need to successfully release the healthy sperm into the female’s womb (through sexual intercourse)
- The healthy egg needs to meet a healthy sperm to form an embryo
- The embryo needs to successfully implant itself in the female’s womb
If any of the above events fail to take place, infertility results.
What causes the male body to produce unhealthy sperm?
Abnormal sperm production or function can be due to lifestyle choices such as alcohol, cigarette or drug use, genetics or defects such as undescended testicles, health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or depression, or infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, mumps, or HIV. Enlarged veins in the testes (varicocele) also can affect the quality of sperm. In addition, frequent exposure to heat, such as in the use of saunas, hot tubs, or having hot showers, can raise the body temperature and affect sperm production.
What can cause the sperm to be unsuccessfully transported to the female womb (from the male body)?
Similar to how eggs can be unsuccessful in its travels from the ovaries to the womb, sperm can also be unsuccessful in its movement into the womb. There are 2 key reasons for it:
- The vas deferens that transports the sperm to the penis can also be blocked or damaged by scarring. Severe genital or urinary infections, injury during scrotal or inguinal surgery and birth defects are some of the common causes.
- Sexual problems, such as premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, can also cause infertility. The causes may be psychological or due to health conditions such as heart problems, diabetes and/or obesity.
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