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Almost half of the cases of couples who unsuccessfully try to conceive are caused by male infertility. That is why men should be tested together with their partners. What is male infertility, how is it diagnosed and how is it treated?
Male infertilityis a growing problem. Regardless of the stormy ethical discussions in our country, according to the World He alth Organization (WHO), infertility is a disease and should be treated as such. It leads to serious social consequences, but is sometimes also the first clear symptom of seemingly distant diseases, such as diabetes, kidney disease, respiratory disease or liver disease.
Infertility is not a sentence. Infertility, i.e. irreversible inability to have children, happens relatively rarely (3 - 8% of treated couples). There are many causes of temporary fertility disorders, including those that are easy to remove, such as wearing the wrong clothes, leading to overheating of the testicles. Solving even the most trivial problem is possible only when the would-be dad decides to undergo research.
The doctor will not only use modern diagnostic methods, but will also know what to ask about the lifestyle, well-being, he alth problems in childhood. And it all matters.
If you have been trying for a baby for two years, so you have had regular intercourse without any contraceptive methods, and you are looking forward to having a baby, it's time to see a specialist. And when you are definitely in your thirties and there is not so much time to get pregnant (fertility decreases with age), it is better to go to your first consultation after a year of unsuccessful attempts.
Male infertility - causes
When deciding to consult the cause of infertility, you do not go to the verdict. You also do not make decisions about invasive, complicated and costly procedures, such as IVF. As much as 80 percent. cases, outpatient treatment is sufficient, most often taking medications (hormones or antibiotics) or changing the lifestyle.
Surgery is sometimes needed, e.g. when the testicles are incorrectly located (outside the scrotum) or there are varicose veins in the spermatic cord, i.e.abnormal dilation of the veins of the flagellar plexus that collects blood from the testicle. There are many causes of male infertility.
The testes that produce sperm cells can be damaged by birth defects, injuries, improper penile structure or infections (viral, bacterial, fungal). Sometimes an obstacle is autoimmune disease, a condition in which the antibodies of the immune system attack specific body cells, mistaking them for intruders. In male infertility, autoantibodies attack the sperm causing them to agglutinate them, making them unable to move and penetrate the cervical mucus.
Sometimes the semen does not end up where it should be. His ejaculation into the bladder can be a side effect of urological surgery, multiple sclerosis, but also the use of sedatives.
Many chemicals have a negative effect on fertility - not only drugs (e.g. anabolic steroids used to gain muscle mass), but also drugs, lead, tar in cigarette smoke or aniline dyes (based on coal tar ). Apparently distant diseases (including past ones) are also important: diabetes, tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases, thyroid diseases or chronic anemia.
Sometimes it is simply stress or wearing tight, synthetic clothes that overheat and damage the sperm. Of course, many men who have these he alth and emotional problems become fathers without needing treatment.
Why? A single problem is not as dangerous as several causes that occur together. The individual characteristics are important: men who produce a lot of sperm are more likely to be lively and not damaged at least some of them. It is also very important how the woman's body reacts to a man's sperm and what her fertility is.
Sometimes cervical mucus is extremely hostile to a given man, and more precisely - to his sperm. This happens even when you are the perfect pair, almost like two halves of an apple. If, in addition, the partner also has fertility problems, the obstacles add up. Hence, the concept of "marital infertility" functions in medicine and that is why you should undergo diagnostics and treatment together.
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As many as 54% of men have poor sperm quality.Sometimes the doctor does not find sperm
More than half of the men (54 percent) tested in the "Fertile Pole" campaign had abnormal sperm results. In 33 percent men, the number of sperm was below the norm adopted by WHO (less than 15 million in 1 ml of ejaculate). In turn, 49 percent. in men, sperm motility disorders also appeared. It is worth knowing that every fifth couple in Poland is struggling with the problem of infertility. The male factor is responsible for infertility in 35%. ( although some sources say that even 50%). Sometimes the doctor does not find sperm in the semen at all (azoospermia).
Male infertility - which doctor?
In general, female infertility is tested and treated by a gynecologist or endocrinologist, i.e. a specialist in hormonal disorders, and in men by an andrologist (specialist in the male reproductive system) or a urologist (expert in diseases of the genitourinary system). Since the problem of infertility affects both partners and is often related not only to the reproductive system, the first steps on the way to parenthood are best done together.
In modern fertility disorders treatment centers, the partners first consult together, often with a gynecologist who specializes in these problems. Instead of wondering where the cause may be, it's better to rely on his experience. On the basis of the interview collected, he will direct each of the partners to appropriate research and consultations.
Doctors often fight infertility in a team: support is needed not only from the endocrinologist (men also have hormonal disorders), but often also from a psychologist, diabetologist (with diabetes), sexologist (even with he althy sperm, it is difficult to become a father when there are problems with potency) and even a gastroenterologist (e.g. undetected celiac disease has a negative effect on fertility).
It's good when the process of trying for a child is supervised by one doctor. If it is a gynecologist who inspires sympathy and trust, he can effectively help them go through all stages of the therapy and accompany the couple to the happy end.
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