It’s a common myth these days that infertility is simply a woman’s problem. Because the woman is responsible for pregnancy, people often think that conception is completely her project as well. However, nothing could be further from the truth, and if you are a couple experiencing problems while trying to get pregnant, you owe it to yourselves to understand the truth about male infertility. After all, to ignore this issue is to waste valuable time that could be spent correcting it and addressing it properly.

How common is male infertility?

When a couple is having problems conceiving, it’s believed that the problem is usually 50/50, in other words, it’s equally likely that the problem is male infertility as it is the woman’s infertility. About 1 in 10 couples that try to conceive have difficulty, so you can understand just how common this issue is with men.

What are the common causes of male infertility?

Most people have heard that low sperm count is one of the common reasons for male infertility, but there are others; additionally, there are reasons why a man’s sperm count may be low. For example, smoking causes much damage to the reproductive system in a man, and can interfere with his sperm production. Trauma to the genital region or testicles, such as an injury or accident, can also interfere with his sperm productions.

Other common causes for male infertility include malformed sperm. In order to fertilize an egg, a sperm must be healthy, otherwise it will simply die before it even reaches the egg in the first place. Another common cause is low sperm motility. This is also called ‘lazy’ or ’slow’ sperm. From a human point of view, the distance that sperm need to travel in order to fertilize a woman’s egg is not that much ‘ only a matter of inches, really ‘ but to the microscopic sperm, it may as well be miles. And sperm are very fragile to begin with, so if they are not active and mWhen talking about reproductive issues, a couple does well to consider some male infertility treatments that they can easily try at home. This is because in most cases of reproductive issues, infertility can equally be caused by the man’s reproductive system as it can be the woman’s. It is a common misconception (no pun intended) that all reproductive issues are strictly the woman’s problem. In reality, most couples being treated for this by medical doctors are finding this it’s a 50/50 chance that the man may need treatment, or it’s a combination of problems with both the man and the woman. In any case, someone may immediately wonder about male infertility treatments that you can try at home, first, before looking into medical intervention, expensive drugs, invasive surgeries, and the like. The good news is that there are some such treatments that men can try that may very well increase his abilities to impregnate.

Diet May be the Best Male Infertility Treatment

In a new study cited in OBGYN News, a group of Harvard researchers found that 79% of infertile couples had a lower-than-average intake of foods high in antioxidants - like fruits and vegetables. In one study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Medicine, doctors found that after one week of daily doses of 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, sperm counts rose by some 140%. So, a multivitamin or a vitamin C supplement may be the first male infertility treatment that you would want to try.

More recently, a study published in the Archives of Andrology showed the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium improved the ability of sperm to swim - a skill necessary to reach the egg.

Exercise also improves muscle tone and good muscle tone helps every aspect of your system as well. Excessive body weight also puts undue pressure on the reproductive organs and doesn’t allow them to function optimally; obese persons often suffer from reproductive issues. Any male infertility treatment that you try at home should include regular physical activity and exercise.

Drugs and Smoking ‘ A Barrier to Any Effective Male Infertility Treatment

Some medications can interfere with a woman’s and a man’s reproductive systems. If you are taking any prescription drugs, be mindful of the side effects. Ask your doctor if you’re not sure. And this includes illegal drugs as well. Many narcotics interfere with the body’s fertility, as does tobacco. Excessive drinking (more than three alcoholic beverages per day) can too.

If you or your partner smoke, it’s time to quit. Smokers have been shown to have 17% less sperm count on average, not to mention that it disrupts the health of remaining sperm. If you’re taking illicit drugs, it’s time to quit those as well. And if necessary, make note of your drinking levels and cut back if needed.

So there you have it ‘ some natural, healthy male infertility treatments that any man or couple can try at home, before undergoing invasive surgery or doling out thousands on tests and medicines.

Blocked sperm ducts are another common cause of male infertility. When a man ejaculates, only about 1% of that fluid is actually sperm; if his sperm ducts are blocked, this means there will be even less sperm, if any at all.

A high sperm count and healthy sperm themselves are of course crucial for a man to be able to impregnate a woman. The more healthy sperm he has, the greater the chance of at least one of those sperm reaching that egg.

Male infertility can be treated!

The good news is that many of these conditions can be reversed, or helped along by your doctor; even if it means a medical intervention, most men with low sperm counts or malformed sperm can still help to conceive a healthy child. So if you’re experiencing problems conceiving, don’t waste another minute assuming that it’s just the woman. See your doctor today!



Thanks to Leokadia Angela for contributing this article to our Infertility blog:

Acupuncture Fertility Specialist

 

Most experts define unexplained infertility as not being able to become pregnant after a year or two of trying to have a baby. In order to become pregnant a woman must release an egg from one of her ovaries, and the egg must go through a fallopian tube towards the uterus. A man’s sperm must fertilize the egg along the way. And the fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus. Infertility can result from problems that interfere with any of these steps.

Roughly about 1 in 6 of all couples seek specialist help because of difficulty conceiving.  Many couples who have been trying to conceive for only a year or two are normal, and will conceive without help. But there are some who will have a real cause and will need to be investigated.

Infertility in men is caused due to problems in producing sperm like producing too few sperm or none at all or even due to sluggish sperm movement.  In rare cases, infertility in men is caused by a genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis or a chromosomal abnormality. Sometimes problems start due to illness or injury.

The number and quality of a man’s sperm can be affected by his health and lifestyle, such as alcohol, drugs, toxins, smoking cigarettes, medication, radiation and chemotherapy and age.

There are many causes of infertility in women. Understanding the causes are obviously the key and there are a host of problems that can cause infertility in women. It is usually due to anovulation (the absence of ovulation), uterine abnormalities, blocked fallopian tubes, or immunological causes. Infertility in women has also been linked to aging, a history of pelvic inflammatory disease, and certain lifestyle behaviours as well as problems with intercourse and incompatibility between the sperm and the secretions at the neck of the womb (cervical hostility).

If you think you have fertility issues, the basic tests can be done by your GP, Doctors can also help you prepare your body for a healthy baby, and they can answer questions on fertility and give you advice on conceiving. If the tests given by your GP give no pointers to a specific cause, then it is sensible to ask to see a specialist

Infertility can be treated with surgery, medicine, assisted reproductive technology or artificial insemination. Quite often these are combined for effective treatment. Around 65% of couples who are treated for infertility are able to go on and have a baby. 

There are a number of reasons that can affect fertility in any couple’s attempt to have a successful pregnancy. If all health factors have been successfully ruled out, then stress can be the main contributor to an inability to conceive and have a successful birth. The stress of trying to become pregnant builds on the pre-existing stress of not getting pregnant, which often leads to guilt, self doubt and negative self talk.

Hypnotherapy for unexplained infertility is becoming one of the most sought after complementary approaches in fertility today. It’s a course of 4 sessions developed by the HypnoBirthing Practitioner Lynsi Eastburn in the US. This programme helps women to conceive naturally and provides hypnotherapeutic support to women who are finding it difficult to conceive, and also who are undergoing IVF and other medical procedures. Doctors have recommended this process. It is much more than just visualisation; it’s also a precise, powerful programme that supports the entire fertility process for excellent results.

Hypnotherapy for unexplained infertility is a specific form of hypnotherapy (HypnoFertility) originally developed in the USA which has become a very successful and popular method of helping couples conceive naturally. Studies have shown that HypnoFertility can increase your chances of achieving a natural conception by as much as 50%. It works by focusing on and addressing any emotional problems associated with being pregnant or becoming a parent, and deals with all the related stress.

The mind has great power over the body, which is constantly influenced by our emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Our thoughts and beliefs can affect our bodies even showing themselves physically. We are able to change physical symptoms by how we feel. There are many factors responsible for infertility, one being how our emotions can affect the hormonal system, which in turn controls ovulation and pregnancy. 

There are a number of very good complementary treatments that can help with unexplained infertility; Hypnotherapy, Acupuncture, Herbal Remedies and Homeopathic Medicine.

There you have it, some solutions for the problem of unexplained infertility that you may have never considered as solutions for getting pregnant. Breathe a little easier and use these tips to take action.

 



Thanks to Lyta Humphris for contributing this article to our Infertility blog:

Ways To Increase Fertility

Can you answer nacho momma’s question about Infertility?:

this really isn’t a question, but i thought it was important. i just found www.twoweekwait.com and i think it is very inspirational. i haven’t been ttc for long but i know it is surely frustrating and a long drawn out process. i just thought that this would help us all TTC! Good Luck!!

This is a collection of thoughts from women facing the emotional rollercoaster of infertility. Some of it may make you cry, some of it may make you smile. The important thing is to realize that you are not alone in your struggle. Infertility may be the most difficult time of your life spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically and mentally. If you are personally experiencing infertility (TTC longer than 12 months) and would like to be prayed for, please email me your prayer request. God bless you.

What Nobody Told You About Trying to Conceive…

That unprotected sex doesn’t necessarily lead to pregnancy.

That your sex life would start to resemble a science experiment.

That you would see your OBGYN/RE more often than your DH at O time.

That the longer you TTC, the more PG women spring up around you.

That deep down inside, I can be a very jealous person.

That one day you wouldn’t mind checking your CM or CP to see if it is your fertile period.

That I should have gone to medical school like my mom wanted, because I’ve had to do so much medical research by now just to figure out what was wrong with me, I might as well be an M.D.

That I would know more about the female reproductive system and menstrual cycle than most of the doctors I go to.

That living your life in 2 week increments would be the norm

That you never knew how much you wanted to see those 2 pink lines……until only one shows up every month

That simply relaxing will NOT get you pregnant. (your dh has to do some work too)

That you have no control over some of the goals you set…

That wishing really hard for something doesn’t make it happen, and staring at your chart doesn’t make it change!

That one day my DH would know so much about how my uterus functions and what it looks like from the inside (thanks HSGs).

That a pregnancy doesn’t always equal a baby.

That miscarriage is so common.

That I would wish we had started TTC earlier.

That my friends’ pregnancies would start to make me sad instead of happy.

That I wasted ALOT of money on Birth control pills!!

That it would help bring a group of wonderful, caring, funny, empathetic women together like this.

That I would EVER be willing to stick a little blue pill up my hoo-haa (estrace pill…done vaginally),

That I’d EVER be willing to stab myself in the stomach or @ss every day in the hopes that it will help get me PG.

That it wouldn’t happen the first time you didn’t use birth control like we were led to believe in school.

That you wouldn’t know how important a baby was to you until it took so long and you realized what you were willing to go through to make it happen.

That family would act like getting pregnant was a competition between all the young couples in the family, and the first one to get pg “wins”.

That my DH is the most wonderful and caring man!

That it is insensitive to ask people when they are having a baby!

Tat women who do get pregnant are so very blessed!

That I could have been rich saving money on condoms, which were obviously unecessary.

That I would be happy to see abundant cervial fluid and tell my DH about it.

That other people’s “good news” of pregnancy makes me sad and when they tell me they have good news, I hope that they just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico.

That medicine and procedures are not a sure fire way to get pregnant but it is a sure fire way to lose money fast.

That had I bought stock in Clearblue Easy I’d have my mansion on St. Pete’s Beach in FL by now.

That docs should prescribe Zoloft with Clomid.

That having flo show up makes you cry, no matter who’s bathroom you are in.

That it does not get easier, each cycle is harder than the last.

Feeling like you wish your life away in 2 week increments.

That I wouldn’t want to hold or see someone’s baby because it just hurts way too much.

That a group of “strangers” who I will probably never meet, have now become my “best friends” when it comes to ttc.

That I would splash urine on my face while taking apart an hpt in the hopes there really was a 2nd pink line hiding in it.

That talking about sex with fellow TTCers would be so easy.

That infertility is more common than you think.

That DH would get used to doing his ‘thing’ in a jar.

That one day all of this will make us stronger.

That there is sometimes darkness (infertility) before the light (a baby).

That no one I know (in my non FF life) would have any understanding as to how I feel.

That my temper and patience are much shorter than I ever thought.

That infertility is not as rare as I was led to believe.

That I would find it extremely difficult to be happy for other people’s pregnancies and I would burst into tears upon hearing their news.

That my faith in God would be tested heavily.

That I would make so many new, wonderful friends who totally get how I feel because we all suffer from the same affliction of infertility.

That it could hurt so much to lose your innocence.

That I am very bitter towards unmarried accidental pgcys, and slightly bitter towards married accidental pgcys.

That there is nothing to aid conception in the water at work, despite what some may say.

That I am so glad my neice was born when she was, early in our ttc, because if she were born now I don’t think I could deal with it.

That someone I thought to be my best friend would hurt me by saying that she was sick of hearing about my efforts at ttc.

That I’d discover who my true friends are, both IRL and online.

That I’d ever be able to bond with my step-sister (also infertile).

That I’d be glad to know that I have PCOS - because at least I know what’s wrong.

That I would know about other peoples’ BD, CP, CM but not know there real name, their DH’s name, or their occupation.

That I could spend so much time and money on figuring out what my body is doing (or not doing).

That I would have to rely on doctors to give me the final say-so on what I can or can’t do (on a med/procedure break forced by my RE against my wishes)

That foreplay would consist of DH asking “How’s your cervix today”

That an HSG will tell you more than just whether or not your tubes are blocked. I had no idea your uterus could be misshaped.

That one person could be “cursed” with so many different fertility problems.

That I should have become a gyno-which I think at this point I know more then some.

That some people just say the wrong things.

That a simple blood test costs $648!

That sex would ever become a chore!

That actually having a miscarriage would allow me to understand the loss that others have felt.

That miscarriage would make me want a baby even more than before!

That I would resent someone who has been trying less time than me telling me “I know how you feel…”

That DH would be overly concerned that our BD positions were the most effective ones!

That I would become NUMB to the wonderful world around me that I already have (DH, DD, family, friends, dogs, fun, etc)!

That I would become addicted to POAS and not sleep at night because I couldn’t wait to POAS in the morning!

That I would be so sad, and ashamed.

That I would learn to speak in code
Like I checked Cm which was EWCM but when I will POAS who knows, dh won’t let me for fear of BFN

That when AF showed up you would feel broken and disfunctional.

That your friendships with your real life girlfriends would suffer because they got pregnant after being off the pill for 3 weeks.

That this would be, by far, one of the hardest things you will ever have to go through.

That you HAVE to have sex even though you don’t feel like it, but because your FM says high or peak.

That people would pity you and feel sorry for you.

That I would meet such wonderful group of people that I can share my sorrow, frustration and fears with.

That I would be going to a psychic to find out if there was a baby in my future (she told me twins in 3 to 5 months!)

That I would dream about taking my temperature and be disappointed if I woke up at 3am and it wasn’t time yet.

That I would stop fantasizing about having a baby because it stopped making me happy.

That I would buy herbs and otc creams like vitex and progest, use them for two days, and then chicken out.

That I would hear well-meaning questions like: “Have you thought of taking your temperature?” (and this is after 20 months TTC…)

That my brother, who started TTC at the same time we did and whose wife got PG three months later, would go on and on telling me how tough and tiring life with a baby is, and then finish with: “You have no idea what it’s like!”

That the two little words of “just relax” uttered by everyone I know would enfuriate me beyond belief.

That someone would suggest adoption to me in order to get pregnant (because it happened to a friend of theirs) before I had even had any testing done.

That we would have to schedule a BD session so DH could do it in a cup a few days later.

That I would have to help DH do it in a cup. (Just this morning!)

That my friends who started TTC #1 around the same time we did would already be pregnant with #2 before we get pregnant with #1.

That I wouldn’t be able to attend my friend’s babies 1st birthday parties because of the quesiton, “So, when are ya’ll going to have children.”

That the people around me would become more insensitive as time goes on. “It is so hard having a new baby, you just wouldn’t understand.” or “Be happy you’re not tied down.”

That I would watch a Baby Story every day… only to cry every day.

That it puts this much strain on a marriage.

That I spent years trying not to get pregnant, and praying for my period. Now I can’t seem to lose the witch!

It’s good to know I am not alone.

That I would have to listen to people complain about their children as if they were burdens while a child is the one thing in the world I want the most. Also, they sound as if they are trying to talk me out of having kids, like it is the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to me.

That being overweight would cause people to ask when I’m due, which in turn could cause me to cry.

That I would yell at commercials on the TV (that “having a baby changes everything” one really gets to me. I can’t watch it without snapping “So does not having one.”)

That I would have to stop watching Birth Day and A Baby Story (two shows I love) because it just hurts too much.

That every girl should go to the gyn as soon as she gets AF the first time. If I had, I would have been dx with PCOS a lot faster.

That a friend would hid and ignore her own pregnancy to try to keep me from being upset. (we found out when she gave birth)

That sex does NOT ALWAY equal pregnancy or STD every time

That your body has its own mind.

That you would be keeping it a secret from everyone.

That you would cry your eyeballs out b/c AF showed.

That you would be jealous when everyone around you get pg including your 16yo cousin.

That you would tell everyone you’re not ready for a child when they ask what your waiting for.

Life as you know it will be interrupted for two weeks.

That the broken heart you feel each month that is equal to the pain you feel when you lose a loved one.

That all of a sudden nursing other people’s babies becomes a depressing NOT joyful feeling

That you feel useless as a female

That you will soon be lying through your teeth telling people that you don’t want children

That you feel that your body has betrayed you by not delivering a regular cycle, the right about of the required “hormones” or doing what it should now how to do.

That you feel stupid and naive for thinking a pregnancy would occur “when it was supposed to”.

That answering questions (and usually lying) about pregnancy or family plans would hurt so bad.

Symptoms Of Endometriosis

Can you answer Madhu’s question about Infertility?:

I am planning to go through IVF this year. Please someone tell me how much of this is tax deductable. Diagnostics, Medicines, tests, procedures, etc.
Do i have to declare about these expenses at the beginning of the year? I mean if i go through this treatment, can i deduct it from tax at the end of this year?

Egg Donation Compensation

Can you answer Veronica’s question about Infertility?:

Does this condition reduces the chances of infertility. Or can it be something else decreasing infertility.

Infertility Insurance Coverage