When you come across the word “infertile,” what comes to your mind? It is a condition when one cannot make babies. One of the major characteristics of living things that have saved us from extinction throughout the previous generations to the current one is reproduction.
It’s the process when a couple is fertile and they can make babies by having sex. Infertility usually occurs during a young age before puberty and old age for males and females, but there’s a certain age at which fertility is supposed to occur.
What Is Male Infertility?
Male infertility is when a man has reached puberty and is expected to impregnate a woman during sexual intercourse, but cannot fulfill such obligation due to certain factors. Most men are unaware that they are responsible for their wife’s inability to reproduce.
It’s often only when they visit the hospital and are informed of their infertility status, or perhaps another man successfully impregnates their wives that they understand the nature of their problem.
Male infertility has led to broken homes because the couple will be labeled as barren. It can make them go childless for years if left untreated. Since it’s a medical issue that can be treated, it’s pertinent to know certain symptoms if you’re a victim of this problem
ALSO READ: Common Men’s Health Issues – Everything You Should Know!
Symptoms Of Male Infertility
There are many infertility signs that you shouldn’t disregard as a man. Let’s explore some of them.
1. Inability To Conceive
When a man gets married to his wife, they can anticipate the priceless unprotected sex to be enjoyed and the beautiful children they will raise. Their honeymoon will be intriguing and he is glad for being very great in bed.
Their sexual life is not the problem, however, something makes them sad, which is the inability of his wife to be pregnant. They might still feel like it’s normal and still engage in several marathon sex, but when it’s after a year without any result, it’s obvious that she cannot conceive. It can be the man’s fault. He needs to check what’s wrong with him.
2. Inability To Maintain Erection(Erectile Problems)
This is also known as erectile dysfunction. Not all men enjoy sex but cannot impregnate their partners. Some of them can’t even maintain an erection, that is, their penis cannot be erect but stay limp. We all know that proper sex needs an erect penis to penetrate the woman and fertilize her with the sperm. You cannot blame some men for this. Sometimes, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, etc., can cause his condition.
How do you expect a stressed man to perform well in bed? Or do you think he will be aroused after a serious relationship issue between him and his partner? No, let’s be realistic. He will have a low libido or sex drive.
Another, cause of a limp penis might be the man’s fault. For instance, when he smokes, drinks excess alcohol, and doesn’t exercise, it can lead to several issues like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, or neurological disorders. During such scenarios, he should consult a doctor and refrain from such a lifestyle to maintain his pride as a man and keep his relationship.
3. Abnormal Ejaculation (Semen Alterations)
Ejaculation is the release of seminal fluid containing sperm to fertilize the egg during sexual intercourse. However, in this case, a man might experience premature ejaculation, which is releasing sperm sooner than expected during sex. Therefore, there is a wrong timing of sperm required to impregnate a woman.
Another abnormal ejaculation is retrograde ejaculation where a released sperm goes to the bladder instead of the penis for fertilization. During normal ejaculation, muscles at the neck of the bladder tighten so that the semen won’t enter the bladder but go out of the penis, but in this case, it opens, depriving a woman of the required sperm needed for reproduction. Since the semen is in the bladder, it will be released as urine.
4. Enlarge Scrotum (Varicocele)
Have you ever come across someone with large testicles (two eggs in the scrotum)? They could be experiencing what is known as varicocele, which makes the veins in the scrotum (a sac that houses the testicles) enlarged.
Victims of this condition experience pain in the testicles (usually on the left side, sometimes on the right side, or bilaterally) and low sperm production due to increased temperature in the scrotum. This makes the scrotum and the penis look like a gun that cannot shoot due to this medical condition.
Alright, what are the causes of male infertility?
Causes Of Male Infertility
There are many causes of male infertility. Let’s explore them.
1. Medical Causes
Some medical causes of male infertility arise from genetic abnormalities like chromosomal disorders (e.g., Klinefelter syndrome) or gene mutations resulting in abnormal sperm shape known as teratospermia or low sperm count (oligospermia).
Other medical causes include hormonal imbalances in hormones like testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) that helps to produce sperm due to unhealthy life choices. We can also consider causes such as varicocele, testicular trauma, tumors, or undescended testicles. All these causes need medical intervention.
2. Lifestyle Causes
For, instance, if you have unprotected sex and have sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it can destroy your sperm and reproductive system. Moreover, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, drug abuse, and obesity will trigger diseases like diabetes, hypertension, etc., resulting in male infertility.
Furthermore, the kind of job you are doing might expose you to environmental toxins, pollutants, or radiation known to affect sperm production. So beware of where you work and stay away from these unhealthy lifestyles.
3. Age
The older you get, the lower your body system will perform, which includes the quality of sperm you will get. For instance, your sperm might find it difficult to swim towards to female reproductive tract to reach the egg and fertilize it. This process is known as poor sperm motility. Unlike when you were young, you will rarely have this kind of problem.
Conclusion
Male infertility isn’t a death sentence and something without a solution. While it can stop you from impregnating a woman and make you become a father, its symptoms such as an inability to conceive, erectile dysfunction, abnormal ejaculation, and enlarged scrotum can alert you to seek medical guidance from a doctor.
Also, take note of its causes related to medical, lifestyle, and age, and know how to avoid some of them or find treatment as soon as possible. Take advantage of this information to help you manage your male infertility.
