If a woman is unable to conceive and the problem lies with the male partner, it is termed as male infertility. The symptoms of male infertility are not obvious, and thus needs to be medically checked and diagnosed. According to a study, male infertility approximately affects 1 out of every 6 couples. Here is some significant information that you need to know about male infertility, its causes, symptoms, and treatment.

What is male infertility?

A man’s inability to cause pregnancy in a fertile female is male infertility. It is mostly determined by the quality and quantity of one’s semen. It will be difficult for the female to conceive if the number of sperm ejaculated by the male is less or of poor quality. Male infertility can be diagnosed and confirmed only after checking the reproductive health of both the partners.

What are the symptoms of male infertility?

Erection, ejaculation, and normal intercourse will happen even if the male partner is infertile. In most of the cases, there are no obvious signs. Thus, medical tests are necessary to diagnose a man’s fertility.

Causes of male infertility

Male infertility is caused if one has a problem with sperm production or sperm transport. Medical tests are required to diagnose the exact causes. Researchers have proved that one-third of infertile men have a problem with sperm production. This might be due to various reasons including chromosomal or genetic issues, infections, medicines and chemicals, radiations, or undescended testis. Sperm transport disorder, Gonad disorder, hormonal problems, sexual problems including erectile dysfunction and damage to nerves or spinal cord can also cause male infertility.

How to diagnose male infertility?

Sperms are considered abnormal for two reasons: unusually short lifespan and sperm’s low mobility. As there are no obvious symptoms of infertility in men, medical diagnosis is key to confirm whether a man is fertile or not. Some of the techniques used these days are scrotal ultrasound, hormone testing, genetic tests, testicular biopsy, post-ejaculation urinalysis, transrectal ultrasound and specialized sperm function tests.

Male fertility treatments

Treatment methods could change in accordance with the underlying condition as well as the level of deterioration of the male fertility. Hormonal treatments, Gonadotropins, antioxidant therapies and Leukocytospermia are some of the popular treatments for male infertility. As said, treatment methods can change according to the symptoms and causes. Herbal therapy is also a widely used method for treating male infertility.