Infertility is not always a female problem. Approximately 30% cases are due to male infertility, 30% female infertility and the remaining 40% unexplained causes of various factors involving both partners.
In general, the male fertility process involves the production of healthy and mature sperm and getting the sperm to reach and fertilize an egg. Some men become infertile mainly because of abnormalities and defects in the male reproductive system. The following are some common causes of male infertility.
Low Sperm Count
Low sperm count is a major cause of male infertility. The normal range of sperm count is between 35 and 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen. An infertile man may have none to lower than the average number. There are no visible symptoms for this problem and most affected men will not know about it until tests have been carried out.
Abnormal Sperm
Some men have sperm that are not properly formed. The abnormally shaped sperm causes difficulty to fertilize an egg. Another type of abnormal sperm are sperm with low mobility. That means the sperm cannot travel fast or agile enough to reach the egg.
Failure to Ejaculate
Some men are infertile because of failure to ejaculate. During intercourse, these men suffer from retrograde ejaculation, where the semen is ejaculated backwards into the bladder instead of the vagina. Without sperm, egg fertilization and implantation cannot take place.
Exposing Testes to High Temperatures
Exposing the testes to high temperatures can affect the ability of the sperm to move and fertilize an egg. For instance, men with cryptorchism have testicles that do not descent into the scrotum. That means the testes are still inside the body cavity, which has a higher temperature than the external scrotum.
Men who wear tight underwear and pants also expose their testes to high temperatures. Another condition that raises the temperature in the testes is varicocele, or enlarged veins, in the scrotum.
Blocked Sperm Ducts
Blocked sperm ducts are also to blame for male infertility. A small number of men have vas deferens or sperm ducts that are blocked or damaged. This prevents the sperm from reaching the partner’s egg. Blocked sperm ducts can be a result of an infection such as mumps, injury to the testicles, congenital defects or a vasectomy.
Some men become infertile for a number of reasons. Low sperm count, abnormal sperm, failure to ejaculate, exposing the testes to high temperatures and blocked sperm ducts have been identified as the common causes of male infertility.
Found this article useful? Read also Common Causes of Female Infertility, Treating Infertility and Fertility Food.
References:
Practical Parenting Group. Pregnancy – All your Questions Answered. London: Hamlyn, 2007.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Website
Wei Yin Wong - I started my working life as a reporter at an English daily called The Sun in Malaysia 16 years ago, writing health-related articles. ...
