CAUSES OF MALE INFERTILITY

• Hormone disturbance.
• Overheating of the testicles caused by exercise, hot water, tight clothing, excessive sitting (truck drivers) and other conditions and situations.
• Mumps after puberty.
• Anatomical abnormalities of the genitals, such as undescended testicles.
• Genital injury.
• Varicose veins in the testicles (varicocele).
• Intercourse problems such as premature withdrawal or poor timing with their partner’s menstrual cycle.
• Genetic abnormalities.
• Cystic fibrosis.
• Opiates.
• Smoking.
• Cancer medications and radiation therapy.
• Sexually transmitted diseases.
• Use of some medications, such as some for high blood pressure, some antidepressants, and male hormones.
• Prostate surgery.
• Excessive alcohol consumption.
• Spinal cord injury.
• Urinary tract infection.
• Illicit drug use (e.g. using cocaine, smoking marijuana).
• Steroids.
• Environmental factors may also affect male fertility. Sperm counts are going down in industrialized countries due to unknown environmental factors.

TYPES OF MALE INFERTILITY

• Azoospermia: no sperm in the ejaculate.
• Oligospermia: low concentrations of sperm in the ejaculate.
• Asthenospermia: sperm are present but can’t swim normally.
• Teratospermia: high proportion of abnormally-shaped sperm.
• Retrograde ejaculation: the tube through which sperm normally travel is blocked and sperm may end up in the bladder.

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MEN

• Healthy living.
• Vasectomy reversal.
• Surgical sperm retrieval.
• Surgical Procedure-Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA) and Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE).
• Surgical Procedure- Micro Surgical Testicular Sperm Extraction (MicroTESE)
• Varicocele repair