Signs of Infertility in Men

The signs of infertility in men are practically invisible. Outside of a couples inability to get pregnant there are no other obvious signs.

Couples trying to get pregnant are usually successful with the first six months of unprotected intercourse. Statistically speaking within twelve months of trying to conceive, 85 percent of couples will become pregnant.

Men account for about 20% of the infertility in couples trying to conceive. Couples with both the male and the female having infertility issues are about 30% to 40% with women having the highest issues with infertility at 40% to 50%.

There are a number of reasons why a man may be infertile including low sperm concentration, varicocele, undescended testicle, impaired shape or movement of sperm, infections, genetic defects, testosterone deficiency, inability to deliver sperm correctly, sexual issues, retrograde ejaculation, blockage of epididymis, no semen, hypospadias, anti-sperm antibodies, cancer, and cystic fibrosis.

There could also be general health and lifestyle issues such as the, emotional stress, malnutrition, obesity, alcohol and/or drugs, severe injury, major surgery and cancer treatment. Certain diseases or conditions can cause issues as well such as Cushing’s syndrome, anemia, thyroid disease or diabetes.

Heat, toxins, and other environmental issues can have a major effect on a male’s ability to produce sperm count sufficient enough to conceive. Pesticides may sperm production and even testicular cancer. Someone who spends a lot of time in a hot tube may reduce his sperm count due to the elevated core body temperature. Of course the use of cocaine or marijuana can also reduce sperm count. Even tobacco can have a negative effect by lowering sperm count.

Even age can be an issue. Older men will be much less fertile than younger men. The age a man begins to become less fertile is around 40 years of age.

Sufficient sperm count and proper shape of the sperm is needed to reach and penetrate the egg. A normal sperm count to achieve pregnancy is greater than or equal to 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen. A count of less than 10 million indicates low sperm count.

You can see that there are many factors that can cause infertility in men. Fertility in men is very complex. There are a number of factors that must be perfect for a man’s healthy sperm to be delivered into the vagina, reach-penetrate and fertilize a women’s egg. Although it is difficult to find the cause of male infertility there are a number of treatments that have been effective in reversing male infertility. Be patient with the process, it may take some time.

There is a tendency for men to feel "less than a man" because of infertility. This should not be the case. The important thing is to treat this issue like any other illness and seek good council and proper advice. Don't hesitate to get more than one opinion and check out alternate treatments outside of the medical community. There are many holistic treatments available that have been extremely successful in helping men overcome this issue. Remember the reward of fatherhood awaiting you. Take the journey, it is well worth it!