What external signs can be used to determine infertility in a man? What causes can worsen sperm quality and cause male infertility? Specialist answers
If a couple cannot conceive a child for a long time, the woman begins to blame herself first of all. However, infertility or other health problems that interfere with conception can be not only in the fair half. According to statistics, over the past 50 years, the quality of sperm in men of childbearing age has decreased by 59%. Simply put, instead of 20 million. spermatozoa (WHO norm) in 1 ml of ejaculate now have an average of 8 million. "Zhivchik".
External signs of infertility in men
External causes of infertility in men are often not obvious / istockphoto.com
A man may not even be aware of his problems with reproduction. Most often, he feels good, strong and active in his intimate life. Moreover, representatives of the strong half of humanity, usually in their thoughts, cannot admit that they are unable to conceive a child. In this situation, a woman needs to turn on all her observation to the maximum in order to determine the possible infertility of her other half by external signs.
Doctors distinguish complete (absolute) and partial (relative) infertility in men. In the first case, the problem is often congenital; it cannot be corrected either with drugs or surgery. Outwardly, it may not manifest itself in any way, so here you need to trick a man for a spermogram by trick.
In the second case, infertility is caused by some objective reasons. And they, as a rule, can provoke other symptoms as well. According to experts, suspicion of problems with reproduction in a man can be caused by the following external signs:
- Persistent or recurring sexual problems. It may not only be erectile disfunction, the problem here means any "deviation from the norm." For example, ejaculation occurs prematurely, decreased libido, sperm during ejaculation comes out less than usual.
- Breast growth and nipple tenderness. If a man, against the background of general well-being, begins to enlarge his breasts, and at the same time you do not notice that he has greatly gained weight in other parts of the body, this indicates a hormonal imbalance. This means that in his body the amount of estrogen significantly exceeds the norm, but the synthesis of testosterone, on the contrary, is suppressed.
- Change the tone of voice. Hormonal imbalance affects not only the growth of the breasts, but also the voice of a man. If you notice that it has become taller, "squeaky" feminine notes have appeared, this means that there is clearly not everything in order with hormones.
- Hair loss and retarded growth of facial and body hair. Don't panic if a man started to go bald "Like a man" (usually this is manifested by bald patches on the forehead or crown, while on the back of the head the hair remains the same thick). But if your partner began to lose hair all over his head, and at the same time ceased to please you with a hard three days of stubble, this is already a reason to talk about hormonal baldness, which can be a sign infertility.
- Oily skin and acne. You should also be wary if a man's skin type changes and he begins to "sprinkle" with acne, like a teenager. This may be a reaction to improper nutrition, then the liver is under the gun of suspicion. But if your partner eats the same food as before, skin problems most likely indicate a malfunction in the reproductive system.
Medical symptoms of male infertility
Male infertility symptoms often cause partner shame / istockphoto.com
Fertility problems can also be indicated by signs that your man is usually hesitant to tell you about. Nevertheless, these symptoms clearly require an urgent visit to a specialist (even if they do not appear constantly, but periodically):
- difficult and painful urination
- itching, burning, redness in the genital area
- swelling and pain in the testicular area
- "Pulling" pain in the scrotum
- varicose veins in the scrotum
If external signs mainly indicate hormonal problems, then these symptoms indicate possible diseases that provoke infertility. A timely visit to a doctor can cure these diseases and restore the reproductive function of your partner.
The main causes of infertility in men
Many causes of male infertility respond well to treatment / istockphoto.com
The reasons for infertility in men can be no less than in women. These are diseases, injuries, and taking certain medications, and even (don't be surprised) gluten intolerance. The main of these reasons were listed on her Facebook page by an obstetrician-gynecologist of the highest category Natalia Lelyukh.
Varicocele. This is the most common cause of male infertility, which responds well to treatment with timely diagnosis. This disease manifests itself as varicose veins of the spermatic cord and aching pain in the scrotum, which intensifies during exercise, sex or overheating
Orchitis (inflammation of the testicles) and epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis). These diseases are most often caused by sexually transmitted infections (such as gonorrhea and HIV). However, in addition, they can be caused by such common "male" diseases as urethritis and prostatitis. Sometimes a man's "mumps" (mumps), chickenpox, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and even the flu, lead to orchitis.
Antibody exposure. In a man's body, antibodies to sperm antigens can be produced. This is an atypical reaction of the immune system, which begins to perceive the semen as a foreign body. Normally, a man's body has a so-called hemato-testicular barrier, which protects sperm from immunity. However, this barrier can be destroyed - for example, due to trauma to the testicle, the same orchitis or varicocele, or due to bacterial infections. As a result, the immune system begins to work against the reproductive system, reduces the motility and vitality of sperm.
Violation of the transport of sperm along the vas deferens. This problem causes the so-called excretory infertility, when sperm are produced, but under the influence of certain reasons do not reach the goal. The reasons may be injuries that "break" the vas deferens, surgery (not only in the groin, but also in the abdominal region), cystic fibrosis.
Tumors. Both malignant and benign tumors can cause infertility in men. Both the first and the second affect the endocrine system. And in the case of cancerous tumors "oil on the fire", which burns the male reproductive system, add chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Endocrine diseases. Diabetes mellitus, adrenal adenomas and thyroid dysfunctions are considered to be the leading endocrine diseases for male infertility.
Celiac disease. According to the latest research, gluten intolerance can cause not only male but also female infertility. It turns out that this disease (we are talking about real, clinically diagnosed celiac disease) increases the risk of developing diseases of the thyroid gland, hormonal imbalance, poor quality of eggs and sperm, and even reproductive atrophy organs. The good news is that with a gluten-free diet, the risks of developing infertility tend to be nil.
Taking certain medications. A variety of medications will significantly reduce sperm quality. These are drugs for pressure from the group of alpha-blockers, testosterone replacement therapy, as well as long-term use of anabolic steroids (hello to fanatical bodybuilders). Also, the quality of sperm is affected (albeit temporarily) by taking some antibiotics and antifungal drugs.
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