PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE MALE:
Alcohol and Stress
For the process of fertilisation to be a success, it is vital that
the man deposit adequate numbers of healthy sperm in the vagina of a
woman. To do this he must be able to have and maintain an erection
and be able to ejaculate. Inadequacy in this area could be due to
physical injury and / or ill-health - which may be the result of
stress, drug taking and/or alcohol abuse.
Alcohol contains chemicals which could damage both the maturing
sperm, and the man's fertility levels, and seeing that it takes a
minimum of eight weeks for the sperm to get from production line to
its intended destiny, it would be wise for your partner to monitor
his alcohol consumption for at least three months prior to
conception.
In some cases stress or hormone imbalances affect sperm production.
About one in ten infertile men produce antibodies which make their
sperm clump together so that they cannot move freely - this
sometimes occurs after a vasectomy operation has been reversed.
Heat and other abnormalities
Just as sperm need to be produced in adequate numbers, so is it
essential that they are healthy and capable of successfully
completing their journey towards the Fallopian tubes. Production of
too few or abnormal sperm, unable to fertilise an egg, may be the
result of a virus infection such as mumps, or a sexually transmitted
disease that may have caused irreparable damage to the testicles.
Environmental causes such as exposure to lead poisoning and
radioactive substances can also reduce sperm production. Heat may
also affect the quality of sperm and its potential to fertilise an
egg. Therefore, in an attempt to prevent the testicles from
'over-heating', men should refrain from wearing very tight trousers
and underpants and should avoid taking very hot baths just before
intercourse.
There may also have been a history of an undescended or twisted
testicle that was operated on during childhood, or a hernia repair
that has left scar tissue blocking one of the sperm ducts.
Premature ejaculation which occurs outside the vagina, and so-called
'retrograde ejaculation' when semen is passed into the bladder
instead of out through the penis - a condition which affects some
diabetics and men who have had prostate surgery, may also be to
blame for infertility.
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