Male Infertility
Male infertility refers to all those factors which are present in the male partner which are responsible for infertility.
Sperms are produced in the testis and are stored in an organ called epididymis located just behind the testis. From here the sperms travel through a long thick tube called vas deferens. This tube travels up into the pelvis and joins the urethra. The final pathway is same of urine and semen.
So logically any defect at any of these points will lead to infertility.
There are many conditions which hamper production of sperms in the testis. These range from congenital lack of testis to many genetic disorders. Testis is also destroyed by a variety of infectious and non infectious causes. A rise in scrotal temperature due to hot baths, tight underwear, varicocele or constant use of laptops adversely affects sperm production. The testis is also commonly damaged in childhood mumps infection.
Semen normally should contain more than 30 million sperms /ml. About half of them should be mobile and more than a third of them should be of normal shape. So men can have a reduced count of sperms or reduced motility or abnormal sperms-they will all lead to infertility.
There are many diseases which damage the vas and block transport of sperms from the testis.
Dysfunction of vas is mainly due to congenital defects, infection, inflammation or vasectomy.And finally any problems with ejaculation will lead to infertility. These generally caused by psychogenic or metabolic causes like diabetes or atherosclerosis.
The investigation of a male infertility proceeds on similar lines. The aim is to identify the cause for infertility.
Semen analysis is the first and most important investigation for evaluation of male infertility. It will give us information about number, shape and mobility of the sperms. It will also help evaluate further tests.
The other tests which may be required include hormonal assays, ultrasound of the testis and scrotum, and may be a testicular biopsy.
A judicious use of these investigations will enable a diagnosis to be made and treatment instituted. But as mentioned before it is once again necessary to repeat that the couple should be evaluated together for infertility. This means that both the partners should be evaluated simultaneously.
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