Like motherhood, fatherhood is also a great experience. Though a father doesn’t bear his child, he feels equally happy and responsible when his child is born. He does everything to protect his new born. But it is very unfortunate that many cannot experience this so called fatherhood in their life, as their ability to father a child in nil. The inability to father a child is termed as infertility. A few decades ago, infertility was considered as a female problem. If a couple failed to conceive, automatically the female partner was blamed. But this changed when the importance of male factor contributing to infertility was recognized. Infertility is a term that stands common for both male and female who are unable to conceive despite trying for atleast 1 year without the use of any birth control method. About 15% of couples are infertile. It is said that about 1/3rd of infertility is caused only due to male factors. Male and female factor combined together contribute to another 1/3rd of infertility.
Male infertility is divided into 3 major problems- problem with erection and ejaculation, problem with the reproductive duct, and problem with sperm production (poor quality and quantity).
Causes of male infertility
There are many causes of male infertility. The major causes of infertility are
- Varicocele (swollen veins in the spermatic cord) makes the scrotum hotter and affects sperm production
- Blockage in the reproductive tract
- Physical abnormality
- Undescended testicles
- Hormonal imbalance
- Reduced quantity of sperm
- Structurally abnormal sperm
- Non-motile sperms
- Infection
- Genetic disease like Klinefelter syndrome
- Exposure to hot environment and toxic chemicals
- Other medical complication resulting in infertility
- Prior surgery
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Abuse of drugs
- Taking anti-sperm antibodies
- Obesity
- Emotionally stressed out
- Age
Alarming signs
If you are trying to conceive for the past 1 year and things do not seem to happen, then it is actually a warning sign that says – its time you need to consult a doctor. However, you can consult a doctor even before a year if you suspect that other causes like age, smoking etc might be the cause. It is also advised that men can have regular fertility check-ups to treat any correctable medical conditions that are actually causing infertility.
Evaluating male infertility
Diagnostic procedure for evaluating male infertility includes checking previous medical history, physical examination, and few laboratory tests. Your doctor will question you about previous surgery, medicines used, any previous family history of infertility, and occupational hazards. A detailed examination of the penis, scrotum, testes, and prostrate will be done. Based on these, lab tests may be conducted. Urine test may be conducted to rule out presence of urinary infections. Semen analysis is done to check the volume of semen, sperm structure, sperm motility, sperm maturity, actual sperm count, and the liquidity of the semen. Testosterone and follicle stimulating hormonal levels are evaluated to check the state of sperm production. Serum luteinizing and prolactin hormone levels will also be checked if you physician feels the need for them. In addition, ultrasound may be done to detect varicocele or reproductive tract obstruction. Another test called testicular biopsy will be taken to check whether sperm production is impaired or is there any blockage.
Treatment
Treatment for infertility depends on the result of diagnostic procedures stating what is actually causing infertility. If you are diagnosed with hormonal imbalance then some hormonal drugs will be prescribed to treat and improve sperm production and quality. Surgery can be preferred if varicocele, undescended testes, and reproductive tract obstruction are determined as the causative factors. A change in life-style like quitting smoking, changing sexual timings, avoiding excess hot environment, reducing weight, wearing loose trousers, and learning to manage stress can show great results. If these treatment procedures don’t work then other assistant reproductive technologies like – artificial insemination, invitro fertilization, Blastocyst intrafallopian transfer, Gamete or zygote intrafallopian transfer (GIFT or ZIFT), and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection can be tried to conceive successfully.
Outlook
The pain of not being able to experience fatherhood is really quite emotional. Treating male infertility is quite critical as there are many underlying factors that are responsible for infertility, considering all these factors during treatment make it a difficult task for doctors. In many, infertility caused due to medical complications cannot be prevented but you can do your little to avoid infertility. You can quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, and stay away from harmful chemicals and hot temperatures to increase your chance of experiencing parenthood.
