Infertility

Infertility is a medical terminology used to refer to the condition of not being able to produce one’s own offspring biologically due to issues of the reproductive system. It is a medical ailment which affects both men and women. Infertility is not gender specific.

Male Factor Infertility

Male infertility refers to the inability of the man to impregnate his partner despite trying regularly for a period of a year or more. Male factor infertility, in simple words, is that condition in man which does not allow him to father a child biologically. There are many causes for male factor infertility.

A medical condition which prevents a male from having his own child with a fertile female can be termed as male factor infertility. If as a couple, the female partner is fit and fine and fertile for reproduction and yet not pregnant after regular sexual intercourse with her male partner, then the underlying cause could be in the male partner and is known as male infertility. This inability of being unable to father a child can cause both mental and physical trauma. There can be many causes of infertilityin men which could be due to abnormality in sperm structure, quality, and function. Apart from these, there also can be other factors leading to infertility in men such as hormonal issues, genetic issues, structural issues, lifestyle issues.

Male Factor Infertility Causes

There can be a wide variety of reasons for male factor infertility or infertility in men. Most often these factors can be treated and corrected, while some factors cannot be treated. Malfunctioning of the testes, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus can be some of the reasons for fertility issues in men. Along with this, the other contributors could be the problems in production of sperm, its transport, and deposition as well. Let us have a quick look at these:

• Most often, in a majority of cases even after examinations and tests, any definite known cause cannot be traced.
• Next commonly noted cause of infertility in men is men having some problems in their genitals, i.e., testes.
• Blockages can also be the reason in male factor infertility as blockage will not allow smooth transport of the sperm during ejaculation. The reason of blockage could be some previous infections.
• Last but not the least, the underlying cause of infertility could also be because of some issues in either hypothalamus or pituitary glands.

Male Factor Infertility Diagnosis

The medical definition of male infertility is where a man is unable to impregnate his partner who is fertile even after one year of regular sexual inter course while not using any form of contraception.

Most commonly noted cause of male infertility is issue of not being able to produce sperms that are healthy. There could be not enough sperms. The sperm could be immature, could have an abnormal morphology, and/or sperm is incapable of swimming. Certain tests and examination are done to understand the underlying cause and these could be as follows:

• An exhaustive review of the medical history. Assessment of previous, recent, and current medical history, details of surgical history, would be done. History of the prescription drugs the patient is on would be looked into. Congenital conditions and if any history of infertility in the family would be checked. A detailed social history along with workplace dangers is looked into to check for any risky chemical exposure which affects fertility.
• Full physical examination and medical background review. A thorough exam of the patient’s genitalia along with checking for any hereditary ailments, any present health issues, allergies, diseases, surgeries, treatments which could hinder fertility is verified. The patient’s sexual behaviour and details of the changes witnessed when the patient entered puberty will also be reviewed.
• Special tests for checking sperm function. Factors such as survival of the sperm after ejaculation, how well the sperm enters an egg, and if the sperm is able to connect to the egg without any difficulty are looked into through various tests.

Treatment For Male Factor Infertility

After a thorough investigation, depending on the results of the investigation, treatment would be initiated. With unmatched advancement in the field of reproductive medicine, there are many effective treatment modalities that yield the desired result. Despite the tests, if an underlying cause of the problem has not been found, then therapies which are evidence-based to increase fertility might be suggested as the treatment to treat infertility.

• Treatment through medication. The two conditions that can be treated through medicines are erectile dysfunction and hormonal imbalance. If the patient is infertile due to any of these two factors, then it would be treated through medicines.
• Medical techniques that transfer sperm to the woman, fertilisation of the egg in the laboratory, and/or a third-party involvement for donating sperm are also the treatment options utilised.
• Surgery is another treatment option used in treating infertility in conditions where in there is a need to repair any anatomical defect or any damage to the reproductive organs. Surgeries are used as a treatment for removing blockages in the tubes which carry the sperms.
• In vitro fertilisation and other assisted reproductive methods, such as IVF, are some of the advanced and most effective treatment options for infertility treatment.

To Conclude:

Male factor infertility is an ailment which causes lot of physical and mental trauma to the patient, but the good part is in most cases, it is treatable. There are many contributing variables to male factor infertility. With the help of the medical practitioner or a reproductive medicine specialist, the bliss of being a father is achievable. It is ideal to seek medical intervention, after a point of not being able to plan a baby successfully. With the help of a medical practitioner or a fertility specialist, problems can be fixed early as they are able to determine the cause and initiate the treatment plan that is the most suitable. To all the want to be fathers, reach out to medical help and guidance without delay and enjoy a blissful fatherhood journey.