Male Infertility
Male Infertility
Male infertility is any health issue in a man that lowers the chances of his female partner getting pregnant. About 13 out of 100 couples can’t get pregnant with unprotected sex. There are many causes of infertility in men and women. In over a third of infertility cases, the problem is with the man. This is most often due to problems with his sperm production or with sperm delivery.
Causes:
Making mature, healthy sperm that can travel depends on many things. These are the main causes of male infertility:
- The factors may be pre-testicular, testicular or post-testicular.
- Pre-testicular: Drugs, smoking, alcohol, medications affecting spermatogenesis (spironolactone, chemotherapy).
- Testicular: Age, genetic defects, carcinoma, varicocele, trauma, hydrocele, mumps, idiopathic.
Treatment
The treatment modalities depend upon the underlying disease and extent of impairment. Pre-testicular issues can be rectified by medicines. Testicular based infertility is usually medication resistant. Post-testicular infertility can be overcome by surgery.
In infertility condition, the female fertility should also be checked.