If you have been trying to conceive for more than a year and still cannot conceive, you, your partner, or both of you may be suffering from infertility issues. This can be frustrating and takes a toll on you. It is essential to seek infertility treatment.
Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, the IVF doctor in Lucknow, discusses male infertility in this article.
What is Male Infertility?
If you have a problem conceiving after having unprotected intercourse for over a year, you or your partner may have infertility issues.
When a male has infertility issues, it is known as male infertility.
Male infertility is a pretty common issue. A lot of couples deal with the problem. At least in half of these cases, male infertility is the cause.
Dr. Hrishikesh Pai is an IVF doctor at Fortis Bloom IVF Centre in Gurgaon with over 35 years of experience in treating patients with infertility issues. He also has a clinic in Lucknow.
Your doctor from the fertility clinic will perform some tests like semen analysis.
Factors affecting Male Infertility
According to Dr. Pai, the following are the factors affecting male infertility:
- Producing a healthy sperm by the male and healthy eggs by the female
- Fallopian tubes are unblocked for the sperm to reach the egg
- Good quality embryo
- The sperm’s ability to implant in a woman’s uterus
- The power of the sperm to reach the egg
- The sperm count
Who can it affect?
If you are male, then you can consider the following factors affecting your fertility:
- If you are 40 or older
- If you have been exposed to radiation
- If you have had early or late puberty
- If you consume too much alcohol, drugs, or tobacco
- If you have been exposed to testosterone
- You have a history of undescended testicle(s)
Causes
If you are a male that has male infertility, the following could be the causes, according to Dr. Pai, IVF doctor in India:
- Azoospermia: Infertility may be caused by an inability to generate sperm cells.
- Oligospermia: The production of low-quality sperm.
- Malformed sperm: Sperm that cannot live long enough to fertilize the egg.
- Cancer treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery where they remove one testicle or both.
- Varicoceles: This is a disorder in which the veins in your testicles are more prominent than usual, causing them to overheat and affecting the shape or amount of your sperm.
- Heavy alcohol consumption, smoking, or use of drugs
- Hormonal diseases that affect your fertility
- Certain treatments and medications
Diagnosis
Your doctor will perform some tests like semen analysis. It will determine the following:
- The volume of the sperm: The amount of sperm per ejaculate.
- pH: a measure of acidity or basicity
- Sperm count: Number of sperm in your entire ejaculate
- Sperm concentration: number of sperms per milliliter in the semen
- Velocity: how fast your sperm travels
- Linearity: how straight your sperm moves
- Morphology: Shape and size of your sperm
- Viscosity: How fast your sperm liquefies
After that, your doctor will do a detailed sperm analysis examining your sperms that includes:
- Sperm’s ability to survive
- Shape and quality of the sperm
- Sperm’s ability to move toward the egg and fertilize it
Treatment
The treatment of male infertility has advanced over the years, says Dr. Pai. The treatment options can include:
Medications
Treatments like hormone therapy to increase the number of sperms
Changes in your lifestyle
- Maintaining a healthy body weight by having a proper diet and exercising regularly.
- Stop smoking
- Stop alcohol consumption
- Stop using drugs
Surgeries
1. Vasectomy reversal
This frequent technique is performed as an outpatient procedure. The surgeon reconnects your vas deferens, the scrotal tube via which your sperm travels. The surgeon delicately sews the ends of the vas deferens back together while seeing it under a high-powered surgical microscope.
2. Vasoepididymostomy
A similar operation is used to repair blockages in your vas deferens.
The epididymis blockage can also occur due to illness or injury. Whatever the source, your surgeon will resolve the issue by bypassing the epididymis obstruction.
Sperm Retrieval
In certain severe situations, a testicular biopsy is necessary to find sperm.
Other techniques include:
Artificial techniques for reproduction have advanced over the ages. It includes techniques like IVF, IUI, and Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Prevention
It is not always possible to prevent male infertility, says Dr. Pai, an IVF doctor in Lucknow. However, you can try to avoid some causes of male infertility:
- Stop smoking
- Limit or stop your alcohol consumption
- Stay clear of drugs
- Try to maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce stress
- Avoid exposing yourself to heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful toxins.
Conclusion:
Male infertility is a widespread problem. You must remember that you are not the only one facing this issue. Going to an infertility specialist after trying to conceive for over a year is essential. Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, IVF doctor in Gurgaon, can help you assist with this issue.
