Common Causes Of Male Infertility
It’s a huge misconception that men don’t experience as many fertility problems as women and when couples are struggling to conceive naturally, their fertility issues could lie with either partner. There are fertility treatments designed for couples with both female and male subfertility, and it is beneficial to book a couples fertility test to find out more about your combined fertility if you’re struggling to conceive naturally.
If you’re worried about male infertility and would like to find out more about the common causes of fertility problems amongst men, keep reading today. Below we have looked into some of the causes of male infertility that can result in you having problems conceiving. Thankfully, there are lots of different fertility treatments to try, regardless of the cause of male infertility.
Poor sperm quality
Sperm count, shape, movement and other characteristics can all impact how fertile a man is and if you have low-quality sperm, it may be more difficult for you to conceive naturally. Whether a semen analysis identifies problems such as; oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia or leucospermia, this can be making it harder for you to conceive. Thankfully, even if you have low-quality sperm, it’s likely that a fertility specialist can design a bespoke treatment plan that can help you to become a biological parent.
Lifestyle factors
Similarly to female fertility, male fertility can be significantly impacted by lots of different lifestyle factors. Common factors associated with male infertility include; age, obesity, heavy drinking, smoking cigarettes, use of medications and drugs, caffeine consumption and also stress. Making some lifestyle changes can have a positive impact on your ability to conceive naturally and it’s beneficial to do so whenever you’d like to have a baby.
Damage to the testicles
It isn’t uncommon for testicle injuries to cause male infertility and any damage caused to the testicles can affect the quality of your semen. In addition to testicle injuries, things such as; infections in the testicles, testicular cancer, congenital testicle defects, undescended testicles and having testicular surgery can all impact fertility. A semen analysis will help you to establish whether damage to your testicles is affecting the quality and health of your sperm.
Ejaculation disorders
Some men will experience ejaculation problems, whether they’re unable to ejaculate or they have no sperm in their ejaculate, and this will make it incredibly difficult for them to conceive naturally. Even if sperm production is a problem or you have a blockage in the passage, you may still be able to father a pregnancy though. Surgical Sperm Recovery can be used during fertility treatments like In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), and this can also be considered if you suffer from erectile dysfunction.
Prescribed medications
Certain types of medication can impact male fertility and make it harder to conceive naturally. Sometimes, medications that are used to treat conditions like cancer, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis can cause male infertility, and it’s always important to enquire about the side effects of any medication you take. You may want to explore different fertility preservation treatments before you start medical treatment for some conditions too.
Learning more about male infertility treatments
Should you be struggling to conceive and would like to book a male fertility test to learn more about how fertile you are, contact our team at London IVF and Genetics Centre today. We can provide you with a comprehensive check of your fertility to help you identify any problems you may be facing. If you’re likely to benefit from fertility treatment, we can recommend the best options to try in your specific circumstances too.
Irrespective of how simple or complex your medical history might be, we will support you throughout your assisted fertility journey. We pride ourselves on providing a premier service to our patients based on the transparency of information and we will simplify complex, clinical and scientific information to enable you to make the best-informed decisions. Our team will be sensitive to your needs every step of the way and we sincerely care about your outcome.
