When it’s not your fault (woman) -Infertility in men

A lot of men often find it hard to believe that they could be infertile. Male infertility cause was not a popular subject centuries ago. This is because old beliefs point a female as the main culprit when a couple is unable to bear children.
Present studies reveal that men and women both take responsibility when it comes to issues with infertility. Men can be a likely suspect of infertility as women.
A lot of men are not aware that they are infertile. The reason is because they do not know nor understand the different male infertility cause.
Here are five male infertility causes that you should know or discuss with your spouse:
1. Varicocele - This is a male infertility cause wherein the vein in the scrotum is swollen and enlarged. This condition can have radical effect to the quality of the sperm. The sperm may decrease in number and its motility may decline.
2. Low Sperm Count - A male's low sperm count is the most common male infertility cause. According to the World Health Organization, you must have a normal sperm count of 20 million sperms per one milliliter of semen. If test results indicate that you only have 10 million sperms or lower, you have a greater chance of being infertile.
3. Abnormal Shape and Motility of Sperm - Motility is characterized by the sperm's unique ability to move and swim towards the awaiting egg. There are males born with abnormal shape and motility of the sperm. Motility is important because this gives the sperm its needed potency to survive the long and difficult journey towards the woman's uterus. When these two are not in their best conditions, infertility is highly probable.
4. Abnormal Testicular Development - Another male infertility cause is when one is born with an abnormality of the testicles. This condition causes the normal X and Y chromosomes to become two X and one Y. This reason of infertility is one that has been present since the day you were born and no other reason of its occurrence expect that it probably runs in the family. An abnormal development in the testicles may result to low sperm production as well as low testosterone. Testosterones are hormones secreted in the testes.
5. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) - Certain STDs can become male infertility cause. They often cause scarring and may block the pathway of the sperm. When this happens, you are not able to release enough sperm into the woman's uterus and a conception may not happen. Some examples of STDs that can cause infertility in men are Chlamydia and gonorrhea. There also certain infections such as mumps that have damaging effect on fertility. It is best to avoid this condition especially that it is common among children and may affect even at a young age.

Seven possible causes of infertility- which one is preventing you!

Being pregnant is every woman’s dream but there are times when certain situations deprive a woman that beautiful dream of being what she should be…. Mum! There are seven classes of causes of infertility. Infertility can be caused by one of these or combination of it.

1- Ovulation Issues
This is a condition where a hormonal disorder prevents the normal release of mature eggs from your ovaries each month, which reduces considerably your chances to get pregnant. This condition is called anovulation. To fix it, there are ovulation-stimulating drugs that really help to regulate your ovulation cycle but be sure to ask for medical advice before taking it.

2- Blocked Fallopian Tubes
When the fallopian tubes are blocked, it makes it very hard for your eggs to arrive at the uterus and be in contact with the sperm. There are many causes that could provoke this, such as Chlamydia (a sexually transmitted disease), pelvic inflammatory disease or previous sterilization surgery The way to fix this is with Laparoscopy surgery, but if the blockage can't be removed successfully, In Vitro Fertilization treatment may work. However, keep in mind that it is a really expensive treatment.

3- Damaged eggs
When you are at your late 30's or early 40's, the quality of your eggs starts declining considerably. This means they are not as "fresh" and start to develop genetic anomalies, which makes a lot harder to sustain pregnancy. The most recommended action when the causes of infertility are genetic is to find a young egg donor, because you can still develop the baby in your womb with "borrowed" eggs and the probabilities of having a safe pregnancy increases a lot.

4- Endometriosis
This condition is recognized by painful menstrual cycles and heavy menstrual bleeding. Endometriosis occurs when part of the endometric tissue, that is inside your uterus, starts to grow out of it and blocks the fallopian tubes. This is one of the most common causes of infertility and can be solved by a small surgical procedure called Laparoscopy. This surgery is not a particularly pleasing process, but women that do it increase by a 40/60% their possibilities to get pregnant 18 months after the surgery.

5 Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome
Conceiving with polycystic ovaries is harder than normal but is very achievable. Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS) cause a hormonal disorder on your body so you start producing more masculine hormones than feminine ones, interrupting the regularity of your periods. This dramatically reduces your chances to conceive. The most effective way to treat this hormonal disorder is with fertility drugs but you should do it with the supervision of your gynecologist or a fertility endocrinologist because he must indicate you the right dosage for it to work.

6- Sperm Issues
The main causes of infertility on males are low sperm count and slow sperm mobility. There are fertility drugs to increase the sperm count and they usually improve the conceiving chances by 25%. Another option to this problem is Artificial Insemination or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (which means to directly inject the sperm into the egg)

7- Overweight
This is by far one of the most common causes of infertility and is easily overlooked. Watch out for your weight, since elevated levels of insulin in your body can mess around with your hormonal balance, complicating the conception and increasing the possibilities of pregnancy complications; like gestational diabetes. Studies have revealed that even a small reduction in your weight (about 5%) can greatly increase your chances to get pregnant if you are having trouble to conceive.(Alexa Miller)

Endometriosis And Infertility – Can Endometriosis Prevent Pregnancy?

Endometriosis is a condition where parts of the inner lining of the uterus begin to grow outside of it, affecting main organs like the ovaries and the fallopian tubes.
It’s very important to know what is the relationship between Endometriosis and Infertility, because it is estimated that 10% of women during their “reproductive years”, regardless of their ethnicity or social background, suffer from Endometriosis.
This means that 176 million of women worldwide have to deal with it and may be having trouble to conceive.

So, how does Endometriosis and Infertility affect my chances to get pregnant naturally?

Having Endometriosis does not mean you won’t be able to have children, it just means that it will be harder and it could take more time (up to three years). Actually, nearly 70% of women suffering from moderate Endometriosis do conceive without extra help. Nonetheless, if your Endometriosis is severe, it might require surgical intervention, IVF or other kind of treatments.

What does Endometriosis do to my body?

Endometriosis can:

* Block your fallopian tubes

* Destroy parts of the fallopian tube that won’t allow the egg to be released

* Inflammation of the pelvis that stimulate the production of cells that attack sperm

* Create immune response from the pelvis, interfering with fertilization

How do I know if I have Endometriosis?

The most common symptoms of Endometriosis and Infertility are:

* Pelvic Pain, usually occurring at the same time that the MC (menstrual cycle)

* Irregular Ovulation or the absence of it

However, if you suspect you may have Endometriosis, it is strongly recommended that you pay a visit to a Reproductive Endocrinologist and practice yourself an Ultrasound or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

How do I treat Endometriosis?
There is actually no cure for Endometriosis, although, there are several treatments that can help you to conceive.

They are:

1 – Medications to prevent ovulation from occurring for a period of time to allow the Endometrial to heal itself.

2 – A Surgery procedure to remove the Endo called Laparoscopy

3 – IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) or IVF Treatment (In Vitro Fertilization)

As you see, Endometriosis and Infertility can be detected and treated and it’s not the end of the world. Still, if you are afraid you might be suffering from it, it would be strongly recommended to ask for a Reproductive Endocrinologist recommendation as soon as possible.