Overview

Male infertility is basically a  condition that affects men, an inability to cause pregnancy in a fertile female. Male infertility is a growing concern in India, linked to lifestyle factors like pollution, stress, poor diet, smoking, and alcohol, contributing to 40-50% of couples’ inability to conceive, with sperm issues (count, motility, quality) being primary. Despite the high prevalence of male infertility in India, there is still a lack of awareness about the condition and its causes. This lack of awareness often leads to feelings of shame and stigma among those affected by it. Additionally, there is a lack of access to quality healthcare in many parts of the country, which makes it difficult for couples struggling with infertility to get the help they need. male infertility contributes to 40-50% of all cases. The high prevalence of male infertility in India is likely due to a combination of factors, including the country’s large population, poor awareness about fertility and reproductive health, and limited access to quality healthcare. however treatments like ICSI, sperm freezing, and surgical retrieval offer hope, alongside growing awareness to overcome societal stigma. 

CAUSES

Sometimes a man is born with the problems that affect his sperm. Other times problems start later in life due to illness or injury. Infertility in men is most often caused by

• Sperm Count – problems making sperm i.e. producing too few sperm or none at all
• Sperm Motility – problems with the sperm’s ability to reach the egg and fertilize it i.e. abnormal sperm shape or structure prevent it from moving correctly.
• Blockages – Blocks in the ducts that carry sperm (vas deferens) can be due to vasectomy or injury or can also be congenital.
• Hormonal Problems – Disorders of the testicles or abnormalities affecting other hormonal systems like the pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, and adrenal glands
• Genetic Disorders – Such as cystic fibrosis.
• Lifestyle & Environmental Factors – Alcohol, drugs, environmental toxins, smoking, radiation treatment and chemotherapy for cancer and age related issues.
• Miscellaneous Factors – Varicocele, Infections like Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Chlamydia or Mumps

Diagnosis

• Semen Analysis: The first step, checking sperm count, motility (movement), and morphology (shape).
• Advanced Tests: Sperm DNA fragmentation tests help identify DNA damage.

TREATMENT

The good news is that over 50% of men will have a treatable cause of male factor infertility. These factors include varicoceles, infections, hormonal abnormalities, abnormalities in the seminal fluid, ductal blockages, and difficulties with erections and ejaculation. When these conditions are treated, either through medication or surgery a man will often see a significant improvement in his semen analysis. Men with idiopathic or unexplained infertility can make lifestyle changes that may result in improvement in his semen analysis.

LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS

• Quit Smoking
• Stop Taking Recreational Drugs
• Anabolic Steroids (male hormones) use has reached almost epidemic proportions. 6.6% of 12th grade males use or have used them to build muscle mass and improve athletic performance. These male hormones suppress the testes ability to make testosterone. This decreases the intratesticular testosterone level. Anabolic steroids also depress testicular production of testosterone and, thus, levels of testosterone inside the testes itself. This may cause severely diminished spermatogenesis or complete absence of sperm (azoospermia). When taken, these steroids cause a persistent depression of the hypothalamus and pituitary that may be irreversible, even when the steroids are stopped.
• Reduce Alcohol
• Avoid Lubricants

Most vaginal lubricants, including K-Y Jelly, Surgilube, and Lubifax are toxic to sperm. Couples should avoid their use during the fertile time of a woman’s cycle.

• Exercise
• Avoid High Temperatures
• Take Vitamins (Antioxidants)

ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART)

Men with poor semen analyses whose conditions are not treatable or unexplained may still have the option of using advanced reproductive techniques to achieve a pregnancy. Even those men with no sperm in the ejaculate are able to have some living sperm procured from them through surgical methods and achieve a pregnancy using the conventional technique of ICSI or the more advanced IMSI in which the digitally enhanced, magnified images of the sperm allow the embryologist to detect any structural alterations and abnormality that are otherwise hard to locate with conventional methods. Surgical sperm retrieval techniques like TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration), PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration) & Micro TESE (Microdissection Testicular Sperm Extraction) ensure that even men who have no sperms in the ejaculate can opt for ART.

This is a brief overview of male infertility, only for informational purpose. If you have any further queries, please reach us at query@gtsmeditour.com or you can whatsapp your query related to multispeciality approach on +91 9164822440  we would be happy to assist in getting you a complimentary second opinion and best treatment option available with quality care approach.