Dr. Sushmita Misra

Infertility is defined as a condition where a woman is unable to conceive a child despite having 1-2 years of unprotected sexual intercourse with a male partner but help for conception can be sought after 6 months of trying pregnancy. In over half the cases, infertility is usually with the male partner which is characterised by a low sperm count. Infertility causes social anxiety as well as relationship problems among couples and can severely affect the self-esteem of the person.

Symptoms

Male infertility tends to have certain tell tale signs some cases or no apparent reasons in other cases. In some cases, male infertility occurs due to underlying medical conditions like genetic problems, widened veins around the testicle or hormonal imbalances and some of the symptoms could be like:

1. Recurrent problems during sexual intercourse due to severe pain in the testicular zone.
2. You might lose your ability to smell due multiple instances of infections of the respiratory system.
3. There might be a reduction in the body hair.
4. Abnormal sperm count.
5. Lack of sexual desire

Causes - 

Some of the common causes of male infertility could be:

1. past injury or surgery of the testicles.
2. erectile dysfunction.
3. premature ejaculation.
4. sexually transmitted infections.
5. testicular deformation along with low sperm count.
6. Blockage of the ejaculatory

In other cases, the reasons could be:

1. obesity
2. old age
3. mental anxiety
4. excessive alcohol consumption
5. diabetes or as a
6. side effect of radiation therapy
7. prescribed medications to treat other existing ailments within the body

Diagnosis and Treatment

The infertility of the male partner is usually diagnosed by your specialist by evaluating the medical condition and past histories of surgical procedures, sexual practices etc. Infertility can also be diagnosed by analysing the semen.

The treatments for male infertility are varied and depend on the severity and the exact cause of the condition. Male infertility can be treated by hormonal replacement therapies and procedures, counselling or medication (for erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation) and procedures to retrieve sperm which is then used for artificial insemination.