When it comes to male infertility, chances are you would have been kept in the dark. Contrary to public perception and media appropriated stereotypes, men are just as likely as females to be ‘infertile’, with 50 % of ‘UK couples’ needing IVF treatment due to the male being ‘infertile’. Yet in a study conducted by DR Liberty Barnes who was researching ‘male infertility’ for her book ‘ Conceiving Masculinity: Male Infertility, Medicine, and Identity’ the acclaimed sociologist found that ‘men are rendered invisible in our collective imagination when it comes to reproduction’ which makes sense considering considering the lack of resources that are geared towards men who are infertile. But why are we so oblivious to male infertility rates and why has the government not granted men access to resources that will enable them to learn more about how infertility can occur and the steps that they are able to take with their partner to have children should they desire it?
It’s simple really; we live in a society that ‘celebrates male virility’ and women are ‘often shamed for being infertile’ despite both men and women accounting for 50% of the ‘infertile population’. But what Liberty Barnes does not take into account is how ‘men who are infertile’ are also made to feel ‘ashamed’ because it questions their ‘virility’ and ‘masculine prowess’ in the bedroom and yet, there are next to no media reports, TV Shows or other forms of media that ‘acknowledge male infertility’ and the consequences it can have on a mans mental health, wellbeing and even physical health.
It means that men are often forced to live with the stigma of being infertile and can often become distant, withdrawn and in some cases depressed. When speaking to anonymous male readers who were infertile, they told me that they had become disappointed in the lack of coverage and awareness raised about the effect of male infertility on physical and mental health and believed that more measures needed to be put into place, to address why ‘men had been rendered invisible in our collective and media imagination’. The question is therefore, if noone is speaking about male infertility, then how could we remedy that? How do we raise awareness of an issue that is still riddled with ‘stigma’ and despite medical practitioners best efforts, many men who are infertile are too worried to come forward for fear of being judged?
- Utilize resources that give men who are infertile or sub-fertile more information about how ‘male infertility’ is caused – From websites centered around male reproductive systems and how the process of ‘sperm’ works during intercourse to frank and open discussions on how male infertility is caused, its never too late to raise awareness.
The Major Causes Of Male Infertility
More than 90 % of male infertility is caused by ‘low sperm counts’ or low quality sperm but other factors include anatomical problems, hormonal imbalances, and genetic defects.
Anatomical Problems
Anatomical problems can range from ‘Undescended testicles’ to problems with sexual intercourse, but regardless of why you are unable to have a child, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Its more common than you may think and in most cases there is always a treatment available. Anatomical issues like ‘undescended testicles occur during ‘fetal development’ where one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the sac that normally contains the testicles (scrotum), whereas anatomical problems like being unable to maintain an erection during intercourse can be due to Erectile Dysfunction or anatomical abnormalities such as having a urethral opening beneath the penis (hypospadias) can also reduce infertility rates . Other anatomical problems can include Varicocele which is a swelling of the veins that drain the testicle and is the most common reversible cause of male infertility.
Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal Imbalances are also a common cause of male infertility but like ‘anatomical problems’ are often easily treated. Common hormone imbalances can include low testosterone (male hypogonadism) or an abnormality affecting hormonal systems like the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands.
Genetic Defects
Some cases of male infertility can be caused by Chromosome and Genetic Defects like Klinefelter’s Syndrome and Kartagener’s syndrome, which are associated with infertility. Klinefelter’s Syndrome is where a male is born with two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome (instead of one X and one Y) — which causes abnormal development of the male reproductive organs. Kartagener’s Syndrome on the other hand is an autosomal recessive inherited syndrome and can result in Male infertility due to an immobile spermatozoa (motile sperm cell) which are the male sex cells that carry a man’s genetic material. Because the sperm cells are immobile, it means that they cannot contribute their half of the nuclear genetic information to the diploid offspring. Other genetic defects that can affect male fertility rates include Cystic Fibrosis and Kallman’s Syndrome, which is characterized by delayed or absent puberty and is a form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
Lifestyle
Modern lifestyles are also major contributors to low fertility rates in men which can be affected by illicit drug use, obesity, alcohol abuse and emotional stress. Illicit drug use in particular can have an adverse affect on male fertility, where drugs like ‘weed’ or cocaine can lead to low quality sperm. Even anabolic steroids like Axiron and Androgel, which are often taken to increase performance in sport can cause the testicles to shrink and sperm production to decrease according to Mayo Clinic. Emotional stress is also related to low fertility rates and can interfere with hormones that are needed to produce sperm like the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) which is secreted by the hypothalamus and acts on the anterior pituitary gland.
What Treatments Can Men Undertake To Deal With Infertility?
Treatments & Remedies can include finding an anonymous or non-anonymous sperm donor, Assisted reproductive technology which is part of an IVF process called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) and surgery in more extreme cases.
Treatments For Male Infertility
ART ( Assisted Reproductive Technology)
Assisted Reproductive Technology occurs pre-In Vitro Fertilization or pre intracytoplasmic sperm injection and involves taking sperm samples, either through ejaculation, surgical extraction or in some cases from donors. The sperm can then be inserted into the female genital tract or used to perform in IVF or ICSI procedures, depending on the case.
But How does ICSI Work?
ICSI is used to enhance the fertilization phase of in vitro fertilization (IVF) by injecting a single sperm into a mature egg. The fertilized egg is then placed in a woman’s uterus or fallopian tube.
Surgery
In some cases, particularly if the male has Varicocele, surgery can correct most anatomical issues and even prior vasectomies can be reversed. Most male infertility cases do not need surgery to combat infertility but in more extreme cases like surgical trauma, epididymal blockage (caused by infection or inflammation, vas deferens blockage and ejaculatory duct blockage, surgery might be the ‘last treatment option’ that a male can take.
Anonymous or Non Anonymous Sperm Donor
If treatment does not work, you might be open to other options like finding an a sperm donor- whether that be anonymous or non anonymous or even adopting a child.
Therapy & Counselling
In some cases male infertility which has been caused by emotional stress or anatomical issues can result in a pervading sense of ‘guilt’, shame and inadequacy but there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Professionals recommend that issues like Erectile Dysfunction which is often a by-effect of emotional stress-and not always related to age- be treated through counselling and therapy to diagnose the cause of the anatomical problems.
Learn more about fertility treatments and IVF with donor eggs/sperm on EggDonationFriends.com
What Are Your Thoughts On Male Infertility & Do You Believe That We Should Be More Open About It?
*Disclaimer
Please note this is a sponsored post in collaboration with Egg Donation Friends but all thoughts and research are my own and is not affected by monetary compensation.
Thank you for raising awareness of this medical condition. My brother does not have any kids, even after 7 years of being married to his long time girlfriend. I believe he has already sought the advice of a doctor. It is a very sensitive topic for him and he rarely talks about it. I hope he does seek a second opinion.
It’s great to see a post about this very important topic. Sometimes I feel topics like this just aren’t talked about enough.
A good read, the marvels of modern science mean that help is at hand
I definitely think male infertility needs more discussion… it shouldn’t be a taboo or shameful subject. Life is hard enough without feeling that way.
I know of someone who suffers from male infertility. Would love to be able to pass this on to him, but he’s just very sensitive when it comes to this… and it’s totally understandable too.
A great post on a topic that really isn’t discussed enough. In this day and age at least we have options on our hands with the progression through science.
Men’s infertility is something I’ve written about before – it’s a massive issue in the Western World and I think the worrying thing is that there are still no clear answers on this but it is a worrying physiological as well as societal problem and one we need to find some answers to.
This is a great post about a topic that there isn’t that much information on or even talked about a lot
I enjoyed reading this- important and educational! I believe that we should all be more open about it & encourage men to talk! X
It’s great to see someone posting about topics like these. We don’t see it enough and it’s so important.
Thank you for sharing. As someone who went through ICSI to get our DD, I now only too well how “ashamed” my partner felt, and how he had no one to talk to about it.
I definitely think that we could talk more about male infertility – I guess men don’t talk as much as women so it goes unmentioned more often than not.
There are numerous causes of male infertility. This topic isn’t one often discussed as it’s normally infertility in females that you see written about so good to read another side.
A topic that’s probably not discussed enough. But, it’s sort of the way we’re programmed, us boys definitely struggle to talk about our problems.
A very informative and empowering post. This is a sensitive topic, though awareness is really the key- as they said you must know the problem first before you solved it. I will share this, thanks for the research and good write up.
Men’s infertility is a topic which needs more acceptance than awareness these days. I remember a case of my friend wherein they were unable to conceive for 1 year. Her family and even husband said that she had some problem and should get it checked. Doctors on doctors, she got it checked with more than 5-6 docs, but she was fine as per all. She asked her husband to get himself checked and the matter rose so much that they had consistent fights. After a year or so, her hubby got hi,self checked and got to know if very less sperm count.. It was such a bad year and males do need to understand and acknowledge such facts.
This is an important subject and well done for addressing it. It was good to read about the other side and get that perspective. My friend’s partner had this issue and it took him a while to come to terms with it, as you would expect.
It’s a very interesting post and a topic that I’ll be honest I really didn’t know anything about. I am surprised about the number of factors that can lead to male infertility and that there is a wide range of treatments available. I had heard that some jobs can impact on a man’s sperm count for example being a chef and working close to hot ovens all day. Thank you for raising awareness.
I must admit that I don’t know much about male infertility and I think that is probably because it isn’t talked about all that often. Its great that you are talking about these topics.
It absolutely should be talked about. Infertility is awful and can put a massive strain on your relationship regardless of which one of you is infertile but talking about it and being honest with your partner is the way forward, for me it isn’t about studies or what other people say/think its about how my husband and I deal with it.
Thank you so much for addressing issues such as this. I think men still are so frightened about talking about health issues in general, for example depression, prostate, and personal issues that I think opening up discussion about them is vital. Men need to know it is ok to talk and open up
Great post! many people assume that the female is infertile whenever a couple can’t have kids, which is obviously ridiculous! Males are susceptible to be infertile just like females if not more, so they better accept it and try to do something about it instead of blaming others.
This is an amazing post. Thanks for sharing! There’s always so much emphasis on female infertility and I feel like there needs to be more awareness made about male infertility so our society can get a more balanced understanding.
This post is just so relevant. Women are always on the limelight when it comes to infertility. I think it’s about time to learn and discuss more about male infertility.
It always tends to be the women who are assumed to infertile, I wasn’t aware that the male percentage was as high as it is. I’m glad that men’s health problems are surfacing more and more and becoming more acceptable and noticed x
I definitely think we should be more open about this. I’ve seen friends turn to IVF due to this very problem and it was often at the insistence of the wife because the husband felt shamed to be going through such a thing, which is actually normal.
I was aware of the fact that one’s lifestyle can create some imbalances in body but wasn’t sure about the depth of it. Thinking its a sensitive topic, people tend to avoid it, which also could be one of the reason why so many men are still not aware about the reasons why it happens ? or how it can be avoided ? I would recommend this article to my friends as well. Thank you for throwing some light on it.
I don’t know why male infertility isn’t discussed as much as female infertility but there are clearly a lot of factors that can hinder sperm count that I had no idea about!
It is an important issue and I think women are much more open about talking about fertility issues
We do need to be more open when it comes to talking about male infertility. I think if we want to help people when it comes to having children, we need to make sure we cover all bases and not lay the blame on any one person. I know men are insecure about their own virility but you have to start a dialog or it becomes even harder to have a conversation.
I’ve seen couples close to me struggle to have a kid. In some of the cases it was a random problem but in some others there had to be a sperm donor involved.
Good for you for raising awareness. This is something so many men deal with and it’s not spoken about enough.
It’s such a shame seeing so many things that lack awareness, and male fertility is certainly one of them.
Good for you on sharing this, I think it’s so important that we do. My ex husband and I went through hell with infertility, he had countless operations and we had extensive fertility treatment, it was hard going. I don’t share it on my blog as we are no longer together and it doesn’t feel right, but I support those who do!