Infertility is not just the woman's problem

Infertility is not just the woman's problem

JAKARTA (JP): Not so long ago, the finger of blame was almost
always pointed at women when a couple was unable to conceive.

This is changing today as medical authorities confirm the
problem lies with the man in 35 percent of cases. Some even put
the estimate higher at 40 to 50 percent. The most common reason
for infertility in men is the failure to produce adequate amounts
of healthy sperm.

Male infertility may also be caused by problems of releasing
sperm into the vagina, as occurs in impotence or disorders
affecting ejaculation. These problems include 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, disease, severe physical injuries which damage the
sperm-producing structures, or by antibodies to the sperm found
in either the male or female.

Excessive burdens of toxic metals such as lead, mercury and
cadmium can adversely affect the quality of the sperm. Smoking
and alcohol can increase the frequency of sperm abnormalities and
reduce the sperm count.

Most men know very little about what contributes to
reproductive health. If a man is healthy and abides by principles
of good healthy living, chances are his sperm will also be
healthy. This is provided he hasn't sustained permanent damage to
his sperm-making organs in the past (through trauma or infection,
for instance), or wasn't born with a disorder or structural
problem that could prevent him from producing viable sperm.

Scientists formerly believed that damaged sperm could not
fertilize an egg and that only the "fittest" sperm would carry on
the species. Research now refutes this "macho sperm" theory as it
shows that even though sperm are vulnerable, they may still
fertilize an egg even when damaged. Yet the toxins may alter the
sperm's chromosomes, the carriers of genetic information. If this
happens, the results may range from infertility and miscarriage
to still birth, birth defects, learning disabilities and even
childhood leukemia and kidney cancer.

Monitoring the following list of "threats" to male fertility
will help a man avoid injurious substances, situations and
behaviors:

* Smoking (proven to significantly decrease both sperm count
and activity of sperm cells)

* Chronic alcohol abuse

* Prolonged use of marijuana and other "recreational" drugs
(e.g. cocaine)

* Use of anabolic steroids (which can cause testicular
shrinkage and infertility)

* Overly intense exercise (excessive exercise may lower a
man's sperm count by producing higher levels of adrenal steroid
hormones, decreasing 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), antidiarrheal drugs (sulfasalazine), anti-fungal
medication (ketoconazole) and drugs to treat ulcerative colitis
(azulfidine)

* Varicocele (a varicose vein in the testicle that produces
too much heat, harming and killing sperm)

* Infections of reproductive system structures such as
prostatitis, epididymitis and orchitis

* Infectious diseases that affect the testes, such as mumps in
adulthood, fevers

* Trauma or injury to testes

* Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) during a mother's
pregnancy, which can cause testicular and epididymal
abnormalities and decreased sperm production

* Constricting underwear or jogging pants

* Anything that raises the temperature of the scrotum,
including hot tubs, saunas, overheated vehicles and hot work
environments

* Testosterone deficiency

* Exposure to environmental hazards such as pesticides, lead,
paint, radiation (such as X-rays), radioactive substances,
mercury, benzene, boron and heavy metals

* Chemotherapeutic (cancer-treating) agents

* A blockage or structural abnormality in the vas deferens, a
two-foot long spermatic duct

* Damage to the spermatic ducts, usually due to a sexually
transmitted disease such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. Passing the
sexually transmitted disease onto the female partner may render
her infertile

* Malnutrition and anemia

* Tuberculosis

* Excessive stress. (Elvina Karyadi)