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 mobile, again, there is the chance that they will die in the woman's system before they can reach that egg.
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!
