 Both
a man and the woman need to healthy in order to produce
a child. When a couple cannot conceive a child in a
span of one year, they might be having infertility problems.
According to research, infertility affects 10% (or about
6.1 million) Americans in the reproductive age. Contrary
to myth, infertility is not always a "woman's problem."
A third of the cases (about 35% are actually due to
male infertility factors.
Infertility in men may be caused by many factors such
as low sperm count (or nothing at all), ejaculation
problems, or "abnormal" sperm, which is said to be malformed
and have a short life span.
Generally, your fertility is based upon your general
health. If you live a healthy lifestyle, there is a
high probability that your sperm will also be healthy.
There are quite a number of threats that may affect
male fertility. Nicotine, alcohol and drugs (e.g., marijuana
and cocaine) are on the top of the list. According to
studies, smoking drastically decreases the sperm count
and overall health of sperm cells.
Poor diet (malnutrition) can also contribute to male
infertility, including deficiency in vitamin C and zinc
in your diet. Some diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, fevers,
anemia, and mumps in adulthood) and infections are also
suspect. These are infections of the reproductive system
such as epididymitis, orchitis, and prostatitis. Some
sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia or gonorrhea
also damages the spermatic ducts. You also risk transmitting
your disease to your partner causing her to be infertile.
Some medications are also believed to be causes of male
infertility. This include cancer-treating agents (e.g.,
chemotheraphy), anti-fungal medication (ketoconazole),
antidiarrheal drug (sulfasalazine), Azulfidine (a drug
used to treat ulcerative colitis), and some groups of
antibiotics (nitrofurans and macrolides). Likewise,
the use of anabolic steroids is also known to cause
testicular shrinkage and infertility.
Other threats to male fertility also include testosterone
deficiency, trauma or injury to the testes, structural
abnormality or blockage in the vas deferens, and varicocele,
a varicose vein in the testicle that produces too much
heat harming and killing sperm.
Some are also connected to your lifestyle, like excessive
stress, overly intense exercise (may lower your sperm
count by producing higher levels of adrenal steroid
hormones, which lower the amount of testosterone in
the body), tight underwear or jogging pants, hot tubs,
saunas, or anything that raises the temperature of your
scrotum, including overheated vehicles and hot work
environments, and exposure to environmental hazards
such as pesticides, lead, paint, mercury, benzene, boron,
radiation (x-ray), radioactive substances, and heavy
metals.
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