Can rubella cause infertility in men? It turns out that this inconspicuous childhood disease in rare cases can cause male infertility later. However, the most dangerous is the so-called mumps orchitis, which often causes too little or no sperm production. Check how mumps and rubella affect male infertility.
Canrubella cause male infertility ? Rubella is most common among people aged 15-19. In boys and young men, the disease, as a rule, proceeds very slowly. Testicular pain may occur in mature men, raising the suspicion of a link between rubella and male infertility. These assumptions are confirmed by the State Sanitary Inspection. The Department of Infection and Disease Prevention and Control reports that one of the complications of rubella is orchitis, which can contribute to male infertility. However, doctors agree that this is a very rare complication of rubella that results from incorrect treatment. In turn, rubella, which is mild in men, does not affect the quantity and quality of sperm, and thus does not contribute to infertility.
Mumps orchitis - causes and symptoms
Mumps orchitisis a complication of mumps that occurs in 20-30% of men with the disease after puberty. The mumps virus causes acute inflammation of the parenchyma of the testicular gland, which results in degeneration or atrophy of the seminal tubules containing sperm-forming cells.
Mumps orchitis is usually observed 3-6 days after parotid gland swelling. The most common symptoms of inflammation are:
- high fever,
- severe pain in the testicle, radiating even to the abdominal cavity,
- swelling of the testicles that lasts for several days.
Effect of mumps orchitis on male fertility
Consequences of mumps orchitis can be:
- oligospermia, i.e. too little sperm count in semen (less than 20 million / ml),
- azoospermia, i.e. no sperm in the semen.
In over 50% of sick men, sperm function atrophy or dysfunction occurs, and thus - to infertility, and even infertility. Fortunately, mumps is inflamedit usually affects only one testicle, so mumps orchitis is not synonymous with infertility. Only patients with bilateral mumps orchitis have a much higher rate of infertility.
Mumps orchitis - treatment and prevention
Corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat mumps orchitis. Unfortunately, steroids only help reduce pain and swelling and do not prevent future complications of fertility problems. The only protection against mumps orchitis is the MRM vaccine, which also protects against measles and rubella. It will prevent complications such as pancreatitis and meningitis. This type of prevention is especially important for boys and men because they suffer from mumps 5 times more often than girls and women.