(Erectile Dysfunction) (Most Common Male Cancers) (Sexual Infections)
(Fertility) (Five Important Male Health Issues )
(Fertility) (Five Important Male Health Issues )
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Sperm from a man's body unites with a woman's egg to create a totally unique and genetically irreplaceable human life. It's an amazing process. Yet most men know very little about what contributes to reproductive health - or conversely, what undermines it. We seldom think about our fertility or the health of our sperm...except perhaps during sexual activity. Yet science tells us we should consider our fertility and be protective of it.
Indeed, there are things we can do to safeguard our reproductive health...and the well-being of our future children. It all starts with being more knowledgeable about our health in general, and about behavioral choices and environmental hazards that can adversely affect our reproductive well-being.
Infertility isn't just the "Woman's Problem" anymore.
It used to be, and not so long ago, that if a couple was unable to conceive, the woman was the "infertile one." Now it is generally recognized within medical circles that the problem lies with the man in 35% of cases (some say a couple's inability to conceive is due to male conditions 40% - 50% of the time).
This is an incredible statistic, when you consider that the average, healthy male releases somewhere between 120 million and 600 million sperm each time he ejaculates, and manufactures an estimated 400,000,000,000 sperm in his lifetime. It would appear that men have it made in the reproductive department, but this is not always the case, and sometimes things go haywire.
The most common reason for infertility in the male is the inability to produce adequate numbers of healthy sperm. Infertility in men may also be caused by problems delivering sperm into the vagina, as occurs in impotence or in disorders affecting ejaculation, including inhibited ejaculation and retrograde ejaculation (when ejaculate is forced backward into the bladder). It may also be caused by failure of the testes to descend into the scrotum, by diseases or severe physical injuries which damage the sperm-producing structures, or by antibodies to the sperm found in either the male or the female.
Obstacles To Fertilisztion.
Sperm must be present in sufficient volume, it must be active, it must not be clumping together, it must be relatively normal in shape and size, and it must not be adversely affected by sperm antibodies either in the man or in the woman. Further, it must be able to penetrate the barrier of the woman's cervical mucus and overcome staggering odds to ever even reach the fallopian tubes and go on to meet the egg. When the couple can't conceive despite repeated attempts, your doctor may recommend a semen analysis to assess male factors which might be preventing fertilization. Your sperm will be put under the microscope, literally and figuratively.
What Can Hurt Your Fertility And Your Chances Of Fathering A Healthy Child?
Your fertility is often a reflection of your general health. If you are healthy and abide by principles of good healthy living, chances are your sperm will also be healthy, provided you haven't sustained permanent damage to your sperm-making equipment in the past (through trauma or infection, for instance), or weren't born with a disorder or structural problem that could prevent you from producing viable sperm. The following list of "threats" to male fertility, while certainly not all-inclusive, will help you to avoid injurious substances, situations, and behaviors:
Smoking (smoking significantly decreases both sperm count and the liveliness of sperm cells)
Prolonged use of marijuana
Use of other "recreational" drugs (e.g., cocaine)
Chronic alcohol abuse
Use of anabolic steroids (which can cause testicular shrinkage and infertility)
Overly intense exercise (excessive exercise may lower your sperm count by producing higher levels of adrenal steroid hormones, which lower the amount of testosterone in the body. This testosterone deficiency, in turn, decreases sperm production)
Inadequate vitamin C and zinc in the diet
Some groups of antibiotics (e.g., nitrofurans and macrolides) - The antidiarrheal drug sulfasalazine - The anti-fungal medication ketoconazole. Azulfidine, a drug used to treat ulcerative colitis - Varicocele (a varicose vein in the testicle that produces too much heat, which harms and kills sperm)
Infections of reproductive system structures, such as prostatitis, epididymitis, and orchitis
Infectious diseases that affect the testes, such as mumps in adulthood
Trauma or injury to the testes
Exposure to DES (diethylstilbestrol) during your mother's pregnancy, which can cause testicular and epididymal abnormalities and decreased sperm production
Fevers
Tight underwear or jogging pants
Hot tubs, saunas..anything that raises the temperature of your scrotum, including overheated vehicles and hot work environments
A testosterone deficiency
Exposure to environmental hazards such as pesticides, lead, paint, radiation (x- ray), radioactive substances, mercury, benzene, boron, and heavy metals
Chemotherapeutic (cancer-treating) agents
A blockage or structural abnormality in the vas deferens
Damage to the spermatic ducts, usually due to a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. Also, passing a sexually transmitted infection onto your partner may render her infertile
Malnutrition and anemia
Tuberculosis
Excessive stress
Indeed, there are things we can do to safeguard our reproductive health...and the well-being of our future children. It all starts with being more knowledgeable about our health in general, and about behavioral choices and environmental hazards that can adversely affect our reproductive well-being.
Infertility isn't just the "Woman's Problem" anymore.
It used to be, and not so long ago, that if a couple was unable to conceive, the woman was the "infertile one." Now it is generally recognized within medical circles that the problem lies with the man in 35% of cases (some say a couple's inability to conceive is due to male conditions 40% - 50% of the time).
This is an incredible statistic, when you consider that the average, healthy male releases somewhere between 120 million and 600 million sperm each time he ejaculates, and manufactures an estimated 400,000,000,000 sperm in his lifetime. It would appear that men have it made in the reproductive department, but this is not always the case, and sometimes things go haywire.
The most common reason for infertility in the male is the inability to produce adequate numbers of healthy sperm. Infertility in men may also be caused by problems delivering sperm into the vagina, as occurs in impotence or in disorders affecting ejaculation, including inhibited ejaculation and retrograde ejaculation (when ejaculate is forced backward into the bladder). It may also be caused by failure of the testes to descend into the scrotum, by diseases or severe physical injuries which damage the sperm-producing structures, or by antibodies to the sperm found in either the male or the female.
Obstacles To Fertilisztion.
Sperm must be present in sufficient volume, it must be active, it must not be clumping together, it must be relatively normal in shape and size, and it must not be adversely affected by sperm antibodies either in the man or in the woman. Further, it must be able to penetrate the barrier of the woman's cervical mucus and overcome staggering odds to ever even reach the fallopian tubes and go on to meet the egg. When the couple can't conceive despite repeated attempts, your doctor may recommend a semen analysis to assess male factors which might be preventing fertilization. Your sperm will be put under the microscope, literally and figuratively.
What Can Hurt Your Fertility And Your Chances Of Fathering A Healthy Child?
Your fertility is often a reflection of your general health. If you are healthy and abide by principles of good healthy living, chances are your sperm will also be healthy, provided you haven't sustained permanent damage to your sperm-making equipment in the past (through trauma or infection, for instance), or weren't born with a disorder or structural problem that could prevent you from producing viable sperm. The following list of "threats" to male fertility, while certainly not all-inclusive, will help you to avoid injurious substances, situations, and behaviors:
Smoking (smoking significantly decreases both sperm count and the liveliness of sperm cells)
Prolonged use of marijuana
Use of other "recreational" drugs (e.g., cocaine)
Chronic alcohol abuse
Use of anabolic steroids (which can cause testicular shrinkage and infertility)
Overly intense exercise (excessive exercise may lower your sperm count by producing higher levels of adrenal steroid hormones, which lower the amount of testosterone in the body. This testosterone deficiency, in turn, decreases sperm production)
Inadequate vitamin C and zinc in the diet
Some groups of antibiotics (e.g., nitrofurans and macrolides) - The antidiarrheal drug sulfasalazine - The anti-fungal medication ketoconazole. Azulfidine, a drug used to treat ulcerative colitis - Varicocele (a varicose vein in the testicle that produces too much heat, which harms and kills sperm)
Infections of reproductive system structures, such as prostatitis, epididymitis, and orchitis
Infectious diseases that affect the testes, such as mumps in adulthood
Trauma or injury to the testes
Exposure to DES (diethylstilbestrol) during your mother's pregnancy, which can cause testicular and epididymal abnormalities and decreased sperm production
Fevers
Tight underwear or jogging pants
Hot tubs, saunas..anything that raises the temperature of your scrotum, including overheated vehicles and hot work environments
A testosterone deficiency
Exposure to environmental hazards such as pesticides, lead, paint, radiation (x- ray), radioactive substances, mercury, benzene, boron, and heavy metals
Chemotherapeutic (cancer-treating) agents
A blockage or structural abnormality in the vas deferens
Damage to the spermatic ducts, usually due to a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. Also, passing a sexually transmitted infection onto your partner may render her infertile
Malnutrition and anemia
Tuberculosis
Excessive stress
