Male Lower Fertility

The inability to have a child despite at least one year of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse is defined as infertility. This period, which is determined as one year, can also be accepted as 2 years, taking into account different factors such as changes in living conditions and working conditions.

What are the signs of infertility in men?

There are no specific signs of infertility. Inability to have a child within 1 or 2 years despite regular unprotected sexual intercourse is considered a sign of infertility. However, depending on the underlying disease, some additional symptoms that may cause male infertility may occur. If these symptoms are not directly in the testicles, it is very unlikely that the patient will associate them with infertility. However, pain, swelling in the testicles; Findings such as penile discharge can be a sign of infertility as well as a warning for the patient.

What are the causes of infertility in men?

One-third of infertility cases are men, one-third are women, and the remaining one-third are both men and women. For this reason, the male factor plays a role in approximately 50% – 60%.

The male reproductive system actually starts from the hypothalamus area in the lower part of the brain; It continues in the head with the pituitary gland in the lower part of the brain and ends in the testicles. According to the anatomical localization of the reproductive system, these regions are divided into sections and the causes of infertility are evaluated:

Anatomically, testicular causes usually affect the hypothalamus and pituitary, and are usually due to endocrine/hormonal disorders. In addition, pre-testicular causes occur as a result of infiltrative diseases of the pituitary, tumors, blood supply disorders, pituitary dysfunctions after radiotherapy / surgery, surgical interventions and some genetic diseases. These conditions are almost always in the form of hormonal disorders.

Any condition that affects testicular function and impairs sperm production in the testis is a cause of infertility: Testicular infections, testicular traumas, surgical interventions for the testicle, undescended testis, exposure to toxic substances (radiotherapy/chemotherapy/lead-battery-mercury industry workers, etc.), high heat, pesticides, chemicals; genetic disorders, insufficient secretion of testosterone,

Any condition that prevents sperm from being ejected from the male genital tract is considered a cause of post-testicular infertility: Sperm movement disorder; loss of integrity as a result of absence of sperm ducts, ligation/injury of sperm ducts as a result of surgery or sexually transmitted infections; sexual dysfunction and inability to have sexual intercourse due to penile deformity; Other causes such as prostate surgery and/or medication use or absence of semen are causes of infertility.

How is male infertility diagnosed?

First of all, detailed history should not be taken from people who apply to clinics because they cannot have children. After the physical examination, the first thing to do in men is semen analysis. Since the evaluation of the woman in infertility is difficult and laborious, the evaluation of the man before the couple helps to progress faster. After 3-5 days of sexual abstinence, first of all, male semen analysis is important in terms of choosing the appropriate treatment method and reaching the result faster.

Male Infertility Treatment

The treatment process varies according to the cause of infertility and whether there is sperm in the semen. If there is an underlying and treatable condition, it should be corrected first.

The following treatments can be applied for infertility problems in men:

• Infertility drug treatment
• Infertility needle treatment
• Infertility vaccination method

Assisted reproductive techniques: In vitro fertilization (IVF), known as in vitro fertilization, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Selected Sperm Microinjection with High Microscopic Magnification (IMSI), Micro-TESE methods known as infertility surgery can be applied in assisted reproductive techniques. will be applied.