By
Chioma Umeha
Infertility is the failure of a couple to become
pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. About a third of
infertility problems are due to female infertility, and another third are due
to male infertility. In the remaining cases, infertility affects both partners
or the cause is unclear.
What is male infertility?
Reproduction (or making a baby) is a simple and
natural experience for most couples. However, for some couples it is very
difficult to conceive.
A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity
and quality of his sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if
the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes
impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.
Male infertility is diagnosed when, after testing
both partners, reproductive problems have been found in the male.
How common is male infertility?
Infertility is a widespread problem. For about one
in five infertile couples the problem lies solely in the male partner.
It is estimated that one in 20 men has some kind
of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate. However, only
about one in every 100 men has no sperm in his ejaculate.
What are the symptoms of male infertility?
In most cases, there are no obvious signs of
infertility. Intercourse, erections and ejaculation will usually happen without
difficulty. The quantity and appearance of the ejaculated semen generally
appears normal to the naked eye.
Medical tests are needed to find out if a man is
infertile.
What causes male infertility?
More than 90 per cent of male infertility cases
are due to low sperm counts, poor sperm quality, or both. The remaining cases
of male infertility can be caused by a range of conditions including anatomical
problems, hormonal imbalances, and genetic defects.
Male infertility is usually caused by problems
that affect either sperm production or sperm transport. Through medical
testing, the doctor may be able to find the cause of the problem.
About two-thirds of infertile men have a problem
with making sperm in the testes. Either low numbers of sperm are made and/or
the sperm that are made do not work properly.
Sperm transport problems are found in about one in
every five infertile men, including men who have had a vasectomy but now wish
to have more children. Blockages (often referred to as obstructions) in the
tubes leading sperm away from the testes to the penis can cause a complete lack
of sperm in the ejaculated semen.
Other less common causes of infertility include:
sexual problems that affect whether semen is able to enter the woman’s vagina
for fertilisation to take place (one in 100 infertile couples); low levels of
hormones made in the pituitary gland that act on the testes (one in 100
infertile men); and sperm antibodies (found in one in 16 infertile men). In
most men sperm antibodies will not affect the chance of a pregnancy but in some
men sperm antibodies reduce fertility.
