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)