Mens Health: Infertility

For a man, finding out he’s infertile can be devastating and have an adverse affect on mens health. While the prospect of not being able to have children can be very daunting, modern medicine now allows many men who would never reproduce the chance to have their own children. In fact, men are much more likely to be treated effectively for fertility issues.

Not only do we now have technology to facilitate reproduction, we also have more knowledge as to what will help or hurt when it comes to conceiving a child.

If there is no obvious cause for infertility, the most effective treatment is probably making some lifestyle changes.

Here are a few simple changes that will help increase sperm count and contribute to improved mens health:

• Quit smoking and drinking. Cigarettes and alcohol have both been shown to reduce fertility in men and women.

• Heat. Avoid anything that will raise the temperature of the testicles, including placing a portable computer on your lap. This may also involve sitting or sleeping in different positions that avoid excessive heat to the area.

• Relax. Taking a little bit of time everyday to distress allows you body, and your reproductive system to operate more efficiently, increasing your chances of conceiving.

Artificial insemination is a process where sperm are collected, washed, concentrated (sometimes) and inserted into the vagina of the woman.

While this technology is often used to help women conceive without a man, it can also be use to help men who are impotent, have defects that keep sperm from entering the woman, or for men produce semen that either kills sperm, or allows it to be destroyed once it’s entered the female.

Many men who couldn’t previously have children are now happy fathers due to invitro fertilization. This usually occurs when a single sperm is injected into a single egg and then implanted in the mother. This is used to help men with low sperm count, men who have sperm motility problems, and men with several other reproductive issues.

While invitro fertilization is a great way to increase chances of conception, it is not always successful. First, the embryo has to actually implant itself. Usually, several embryos are used to help increase the chance of implantation.

In addition to problems with implantation, IVF also increases the chances that the pregnancy will end in miscarriage or a birth defect.

During intercourse, only the strongest, fastest sperm make it to the egg. In IFV, the lucky sperm is chosen almost at random. It is likely that the sperm is not viable and the female body will abort the pregnancy itself.

In many cases, the problem only requires simple surgery to be fixed. This is the case if the man has a varicocele, a varicose vein in the penis that blocks the sperm.

Surgery can also be used to help men with birth defects or other blockage. While no surgery is without risk, most men can effectively contribute to conception after these procedures.

A very small percentage of men produce no sperm at all. In many of these cases, there is no way for the man to produce biological offspring. The only option for men with this problem is adopting or finding a sperm donor.

While technology can’t fix all the problems with mens health, specifically male fertility, it makes it possible for many men to have children who thought they could never reproduce. Generally, it just requires time, patience and, in some cases, money.

Mens Health