Male Infertility and its Causes - Part 1
Infertility as a social problem in developing countries is quite complex.
Generally women tend to bear the brunt of it; as if they are solely responsible for the whole process of getting pregnant.
These societies can be very unkind to women when a marriage partnership is childless as the cause is automatically ascribed to her.
There is little tolerance to consider the male factor for infertility and the woman bears the responsibility for running around for the solution to a childless marriage. This has resulted in physical and emotional abuse to the woman, marriage break-ups and even death in some cases.
Men are less forthcoming to present for tests because of the shame associated with male infertility, or ‘shooting blanks’; seems to be associated with loss of male prowess and masculinity.
It's important for societies especially in lower and middle income countries to acknowledge the degree to which male infertility exists so it can be dealt with rationally and part of this starts with understanding why it happens.
In this post, which is the first of three on this topic, I’d like to look at male infertility so that when a couple needs to consider the challenge of infertility in their relationship, it shouldn’t be considered solely the fault of the woman.
We know that the whole process of fertilisation needs a viable egg and viable sperm as well as male and female reproductive organs to succeed.
Infertility is the term used when a couple can’t conceive despite regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
Without a doubt, infertility from female causes is more common, but some estimates suggest that in 1 out of 5 couples, it is solely a male problem.
Problems with male fertility are usually as a result of a loss in the quality and quantity of the sperm.
In majority of cases, the appearance and the function of the penis, scrotum and semen will appear perfectly normal.
There are certain scenarios or risk factors that can affect an individual’s fertility whether male or female – this means that although they alone will not cause infertility; if they are present, they can reduce the ability fertility.
They include:
Older Age – Although this is less applicable in men compared to women, but increasing age is associated with reducing fertility
Weight gain - in men this can be linked to reduced fertility
Smoking - there's an association between smoking and reduced semen quality
Alcohol - for men, drinking too much alcohol can affect the quality of sperm; (the chief medical officers for the United Kingdom recommend men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which should be spread evenly over three days or more).
Environmental factors – exposure (usually through occupation) to certain pesticides, solvents and metals has been shown to affect fertility, particularly in men.
Next time, we'll look at specific conditions that actually cause Male Infertility.
Let me know your comments below.
Stay Well!
Editing by AskAwayHealth Team Disclaimer All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on a wide range of health care conditions to provide evidence based guidance and to help promote quality health care. The advice in our material is not meant to replace management of your specific condition by a qualified health care practitioner. To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly through info@askawayhealth.org
