The real miracle is that the rate of infertility in men is not higher than it is. It is estimated that approximately 8% of all fertility problems are male in origin. Male fertility is dependent upon both male reproductive organs and hormones. If just one part of this process is misfiring - the whole process is compromised. Surprisingly many of the hormones responsible for female fertility also govern fertility in men.
Hormone Production
The process begins in the hypothalamus with the production of Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GoRH). GoRH prompts the pituitary gland to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
FSH is responsible for maintaining sperm production and LH stimulates the production of testosterone. The sperm and testosterone are produced in the testicles, which are outside the body. This is essential. Testicles remaining inside the body produce temperatures too high to foster the production of sperm and testosterone.
Production of Sperm
The life cycle of the sperm is complex, requiring 74 days for completion. At any point during this 74 day journey, something could go awry, resulting in defective sperm.
Healthy sperm consist of a head and a tail. The head contains half of the genetic material necessary to form a human embryo. The tail's job is to lash back and forth, propelling the sperm on its journey to fertilize the female ovum.
The sperm is forced through the urethra and ejaculated through the penis. It is contained in a gelatin-like substance - semen - which serves three functions. First, it provides a slightly alkaline environment to protect the sperm from the acidity of the female vagina. But this climate is short-lived. If the sperm does not reach the woman's cervix within a few hours, the semen itself becomes toxic and the sperm die.
Second, it prevents the sperm from draining from the vagina too quickly. And third, it contains the sugar fructose which provides an instant energy boost to the sperm.
Odds of the Sperm Reaching the Ovum
The odds of any one sperm surviving to fertilize the egg are astounding. In each ejaculation 100-300 million sperm are delivered. Out of these sperm, only 400 survive to begin the journey to the cervix.
Of these 400, only 40 sperm come anywhere in the vicinity of the egg. These sperm must now survive another four days to reach the woman's fallopian tubes where the egg will provide a 12 hour window of opportunity for fertilization.
Add to this that only 15% of ejaculated sperm are sound enough to fertilize the egg and you have the makings of a miracle. Human conception.
Causes of Infertility in Men
There are several general causes of infertility in men. They can be broken down as follows:
1. Problems with maintaining an erection.
2. Problems with ejaculation.
3. Problems with sperm production.
4. Having a varicocele.
5. Genetic problems.
6. Infections or STDs.
7. Exposure to heat or toxic chemicals.
8. Drugs and medications.
9. Hormone imbalance.
Luckily, problems with sperm production are the leading cause of infertility in men - because this is the most easily detected and most easily treated cause of infertility in men.
What to Do
If you and your partner have been having unprotected intercourse three or more times a week for more than a year, it is time to have an infertility workup done on each of you. Often men feel that there could never be anything wrong with them and will only submit to an examination if the doctor finds nothing wrong with his partner. This is a foolish waste of time.
Ruling out infertility in men is by far easier to do than ruling out female infertility. Knowing that the male partner has no underling fertility issue enables the doctor to more aggressively search for the cause of infertility in the female. It also prevents the loss of "fertility time" as ovum age at a steady pace - and sadly can "age out" during the process of determining the cause of the couple's infertility.
So, when it's time to see the doctor, do your part. Go to your family doctor or urologist when your female partner goes to seek medical advice. You'll help to speed the process of making a baby vastly if you do.
If you want more information on alternative treatments for infertility in men and women, be sure to visit my website below. It details the process I used to make two happy and healthy babies when the medical profession said it was unlikely that I would ever get pregnant.
No comments:
Post a Comment