Male Infertility: How It Is Way More Common Than You Think?
The hectic work schedule and unhealthy eating habits have started to take a toll on the infertility of the young couples who wish to embrace parenthood in the upcoming years. Although both men and women equally contribute when it comes to fertilizing the egg, people often solely blame women for infertility or childlessness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a survey just to find out that male infertility is underestimated in different parts of the world. However, it affects a significant portion of the total world population. Even though due to the lack of consistent data, it is challenging to come up with an accurate number, experts believe that men are solely responsible for more than 20% to 30% infertility cases or contribute in 50% of cases overall. In short, male infertility is way more common than you think.
What is Male Infertility?
Male infertility refers to a health issue where a male cannot get his partner pregnant even after a year of regular unprotected intercourse. In every 100 couples, 15 percent of couples are infertile and in over one-third of these couples, male infertility plays a huge role. Not being able to embrace the experience of parenthood can be heart-wrenching but there are numbers of treatments for male infertility are available in the SCI IVF Clinic in Noida.
What are the signs of male infertility in men? explained by an infertility specialist in Delhi
The first visible sign of male infertility is the inability to conceive a child even after having unprotected intercourse for years. As a male, your fertility largely depends upon your body making qualitative and quantitative sperms and delivering them for fertilization. If the sperm count is low or the sperm are poor in quality then, it will be difficult to fertilize the egg to lead a successful pregnancy. In some cases, underlying factors like; hormonal imbalance, erectile dysfunction, reduced sex drive, dilated veins around the testicles can cause infertility in men. Some of the most common symptoms of infertility other than the inability to conceive are as given below:
- Problems with sexual functions
- Recurring respiratory infections
- Swelling, pain, or lump in the testicle area
- Inability to smell
- Obesity or overweight
- Decreased number of facial and body hair
- Abnormal chest growth
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms then, chances are there that you are infertile for the time being.
What are the causes of male infertility in men?
Male infertility is indeed a complex topic and sometimes there can be more than one factor that contributes to infertility. As the malefactors are responsible for infertility around half of the time and about one-third time, it is the cause behind infertility. Most often, the cause lies in producing and delivering healthy sperm for fertilization. Here are some of the prime causes behind infertility in men:
- Sperm disorders: sperm disorder is one of the most common causes of male infertility. In this condition, the produced sperm may not grow fully, not move, are low in number, oddly shaped, or not healthy for fertilization. Health and lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption, drug abuse, and smoking can also affect the sperm count.
- Obesity: overweight or obesity is directly linked with male infertility including directly affecting the sperm count and quality. It is also responsible for causing a hormonal imbalance that reduces the fertility rate.
- Ejaculation issues: Retrograde ejaculation issue occurs when the semen enters into the bladder during the orgasm rather than escaping through the tip of the penis. Several health conditions like; diabetes, spinal injuries, surgery of the urethra, bladder, and prostate can cause ejaculation issues.
- Varicoceles: This condition refers to the swollen veins in the scrotum. This condition is found in 16 out of every 100 men. The varicoceles harm the production of the sperm by blocking the blood drainage which makes testicles too warm for sperm production.
- Medication: certain medications also affect the production, quality, and delivery of healthy sperm. These medications are often prescribed to treat health issues like; depression, arthritis, infections, cancer, blood pressure, etc.
- Alcohol consumption: studies have found that there is a direct link between alcohol consumption and infertility in men. It lowers down testosterone levels and can cause other sexual problems.
- Smoking: as obvious as it sounds, smoking is injurious to health and fertility in men. People who smoke on a regular basis have a lower sperm count than people who don’t.
- Stress due to work: stress, anxiety, and depression caused by heavy workloads can also lead to infertility in men.
What are the possible diagnosis and causes of male infertility treatment centers?
Treating the causes of male infertility can be difficult without proper diagnosis. Therefore, the team urology experts at the SCI IVF Centre in Noida start with the following diagnosis:
Semen analysis: it is the routine lab test where the collected semen sample is put under the microscope to analyze different sperm factors like; count, volume, quality, movement, concentration, and structure. The quality of the sperm tells a lot about a person’s capability to fertilize and conceive. If something is wrong with the sperm then it can increase the overall chances of male infertility.
Transrectal Ultrasound: the professionals at the SCIIVF can also recommend patients to take a transrectal ultrasound to get a clear picture of the organ. This helps the expert to see if the structures of the ejaculatory duct or seminal vesicles are poorly formed or blocked.
Hormonal profile: digging into the hormonal profile can also help to how well the testicles produce sperms. This test helps to highlight the underlying causes of infertility. For instance, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is the pituitary hormone that instructs testicles to produce sperm. If the level of FSH is high then it means testicles are getting the instruction to produce sperm but they won’t.
Once the exact cause is identified through the tests, the experts will further proceed with the specific treatments. You can consult with the top urologists in Noida regarding your infertility issue to learn more. however, sometimes it is difficult to come up with the exact cause of male infertility but that doesn’t mean you can fulfill your dream of becoming a father. Here are some of the possible treatments to cure male infertility:
Sperm Retrieval Procedures (PESA)
Sperm Retrieval Procedures commonly known as PESA is the procedure to recover the sperm from testicles with the help of a needle or syringe technique. In this process, the needle is directly placed in the epididymis to collect the sperm. This process has a high success rate with the cases where testicles can produce quality sperm but fails to deliver due to the blockage in the vas deferens. Once done, the sperm can be used to create a healthy embryo through the IVF process in Noida which leads to a successful pregnancy.
Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)
Testicular Sperm Aspiration is similar to the needle biopsy but includes placing a needle attached with the syringe in the layer of the scrotum to simply suck out the sperm from testicles. In some cases, the success rate with TESA is higher than PESA.
Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE)
Unlike TESA, the Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) involves opening up the scrotum to take down a large volume of testicular tissues from different regions. Later, it is used to retrieve sperms with the help of a microscope. This way the experts end up finding the highest quality sperms. The procedure is performed under anesthesia.
Microsurgical Testicular Sperm Extraction (Micro TESE)
Along with the PESA, TESA, and TESE, the advancement in the technology has led to another sperm retrieval procedure called Microsurgical testicular sperm extraction or Micro TESE. This process is used to retrieve a small volume of testicular samples from different active regions of testicles with the help of the microscope to further enhance the sperm yield. The procedure has more advantages over the other three procedures of sperm retrieval.
The experts at SCI IVF Noida will guide you to come up with the best treatment to increase the success rate.
In the end, you need to comprehend that there is only a 1% chance that your infertility cannot be treated, so there are fair chances that you and your partner can embrace the happiness of parenthood. You can always consult with the professionals at the SCIIVF to learn how you can fulfill your dream to become a parent.