Infertility and the Man
Infertility and the Man
Among the myriad types of discrimination with which they have been presented, women were almost exclusively thought to be the reason for failure to conceive in the past. Infertility in men, however, has now become as much a recognized issue as has infertility in women.
In the past, a pervasive ignorance of the reproductive process and the tendency of women to be thought of as almost exclusively responsible for child-bearing from the medical standpoint caused many men to be bereft of the help that could make it possible for them to successfully conceive.
Today, the situation is much different.While men are a bit “simpler” where their reproductive systems are concerned compared to women, infertility can come from a man as much as it can from a woman. Most often, the cause is a reduced sperm count. This can be genetic or the result of various causes. Wearing tight underwear that causes the testes to be too hot for healthy sperm production can sometimes cause this problem. An overall lack of attendance to one’s health concerns can also cause the problem. While there are known causes, unfortunately, they are not as well known as they are in the case of women’s infertility.
There are, however, some well-known causes that can cause infertility in the man. Chief among these are various types of substance abuse. Marijuana, for instance, is associated with diminished sperm production in males. While other types of drug abuse may not directly cause a lack of fertility, they may cause an overall lack of proper care given to one’s health that may cause these problems. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is oftentimes the first step in restoring one’s fertility. One should also make certain that they attend to their mental health.
The male sperm production cycle takes two months to complete. It’s possible that an illness which was suffered even as long as months ago may result in some fertility problems for some time to come. If a male has recently combated illness it may be worth it to see if this could be causing the problem with conception. Some other diseases which may cause problems with conception include those which affect the pituitary gland.
These disorders may require a great deal of treatment to overcome. While there are various therapies available, they may be long-term and may require some fairly intense types of intervention.
A man with infertility issues is certainly not without options and, while these options might not produce results as quickly as the couple might desire, finding out the exact cause of the problem is oftentimes a great relief to the couple.
Diagnosing male infertility problems will generally begin with an examination of the testes and with the taking of a semen sample to ascertain the health and number of the sperm. In some cases, the problem may be found to be easily curable and to simply entail a change in one’s habits. In other cases, however, the problem may require long-term treatment.
