For most couples, reproduction or making a baby is a simple and natural experience. However, it becomes very difficult to conceive for some couples. On the quantity and quality of sperm, a man’s fertility generally depends. It will be difficult and sometimes impossible for a man to cause a pregnancy if the number of sperm he ejaculates is low or if the sperm is of poor quality. When reproductive problems have been found in the male after testing both partners, male infertility is diagnosed.
How common is male infertility?
Infertility is a widespread problem. The problem lies solely in the male partner for about one in five infertile couples. It is estimated that there is some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in the ejaculate in one in 20 men. However, there is no sperm in the ejaculate in only about one in every 100 men.
What are the symptoms of male infertility?
There are no obvious signs of infertility in many cases. There will be usually no problem in intercourse, erections and ejaculation. No abnormality in the quantity and appearance of the ejaculated semen will be found by the naked eye. For this reason, infertility doctors in Kolkata ask a man to do some medical tests to find out if he is infertile.
What causes male infertility?
Problems that affect either sperm production or sperm transport usually cause male infertility. The doctor may be able to find out the cause of the problem through medical testing. There is a problem with making sperm in the testes in about two-thirds of infertile men. Either the sperm that is made does not work properly and/or low numbers of sperm are made. In about one in every five infertile men, sperm transport problems are found. This includes men who have had a vasectomy but now wish to have more children. A complete loss of ejaculated semen is often caused by blockages, often referred to as obstructions, in the tubes leading sperm away from the testes to the penis. Infertility also has other less common causes. They include low levels of hormones made in the pituitary gland that act on the testes (one in 100 infertile men), sexual problems affecting whether semen is able to enter the woman’s vagina for fertilization to take place (one in 100 infertile couples) and sperm antibodies (found in one in 16 infertile men). In some men, sperm antibodies reduce fertility though in most men sperm antibodies will not affect the chance of a pregnancy.
How is male infertility treated?
According to the underlying disease and the degree of the impairment of male infertility, mode of treatment is decided by infertility doctors in Kolkata. Some issues that affect male fertility, including hormonal imbalances and erectile dysfunction, can be treated by medication. Use of medical procedures to deliver sperm to the woman, fertilization of the egg in a laboratory, surgery to correct or repair anatomic abnormalities or damage to reproductive organs and using the third party for donating sperm or eggs and/or carrying a pregnancy are some other treatment options. For repairing blockages in the tubes that transport sperm, surgery can be effective. If other treatments do not restore fertility, assistive reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization can be effective.
