Infertility in men: causes, symptoms, solutions

In our society, there is still an erroneous assumption that infertility, at couple level, is closely related only to women’s problems. In fact, a third of couples who fail to have a baby find that the reason is linked to the quality of the man’s sperm, It is therefore important to educate ourselves about infertility in men.

In the following lines, Barza presents the factors that can contribute to low male fertility, as well as the most handy solutions for testing.

Infertility in men: risk factors

Male infertility cannot always be prevented. However, there are a number of factors that can negatively impact reproductive health:

• older male age (40+);
• smoking, alcohol and/or drug use;
• obesity;
• nutritional deficiency;
• exposure to radiation, toxins, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals;
• family medical history (cases of urogenital disorders or other sexual problems);
• vasectomy;
• injuries or surgery to the testicle, penis or scrotum;
• exposure to prolonged heat in the testicular area;
• stress;
• taking food supplements or certain medicines (radiotherapy or other cancer treatments).

Causes of infertility in men

Possible causes of male fertility problems are:

• the presence of fewer or no sperm (azoospermia) in the semen (less than 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen or a total sperm count of less than 39 million sperm per ejaculate);
• poor sperm quality;
• genetic, congenital or acquired urogenital disorders;
• diabetes or other chronic diseases;
• genital infections (Chlamydia, Syphilis);
• endocrine disorders.

Infertility in men: beware of Chlamydia!

Chlamydia is a common infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact and can affect both men and women. Chlamydia can cause infertility if not diagnosed early and treated properly. In addition to infertility, the infection can also cause other conditions such as:

• urethritis (infection of the urethra);
• urethral strictures (narrowing of a portion of the urethra due to the development of retractile fibrous scar tissue or neoplastic tissue in the thickness of the urethral wall);
• inflammation of the epididymis (epididymitis, an infection of the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles);
• inflammation of the testicles;
• prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate).

Barza’s tip: there is a safe and quick self-testing product on the market that detects Chlamydia infection.

Symptoms of male infertility

The main sign of male infertility is the inability to conceive a child. There may be no other obvious signs or symptoms. In some cases, however, some changes occur:

• sexual dysfunction (erection problems, difficulty ejaculating, premature ejaculation, lack of ejaculation);
• decreased libido;
• the onset of depression;
• pain or discomfort in the testicles;
• presence of inguinal nodules;
• abnormal breast growth (gynaecomastia);
• facial or body hair loss (other signs of a chromosomal or hormonal abnormality).

BARZA fertility test, simple and easy to do at home

The inability to conceive a child can be stressful and frustrating. It is important that partners correctly identify the reason why they cannot have children. Couples who are unsuccessful in getting pregnant can be guided, simply, easily and quickly, with Barza’s Female & Male Fertility Tests.

For men, the test determines the concentration of sperm in human semen in just a few minutes to determine fertility. The accuracy of the results obtained is greater than 98%.

The importance of infertility diagnosis

If you find that male infertility might be the problem in your couple, it is important to talk to a specialist about having a spermogram to clarify all the characteristics of the sperm and their ability to fertilise the egg.

Specialists recommend that you do not neglect your reproductive health, as complications such as:

• deterioration of the couple relationship;
• increased risk of testicular cancer, melanoma, colon cancer and prostate cancer;
• high costs in subsequent treatments as well as complex interventions.