Archive for the ‘Male Infertility’ Category
Friday, June 24th, 2011
There are many reasons that people eschew adopting technology, including heavy cell phone usage. First, it can be quite risky to use a cell phone during driving. It can also be socially rude to sit in company chatting or texting… all the while avoiding one’s companions! And some medical professionals are even saying that it can have a significant impact male infertility.
A recent study on men who were talking on their cell phones an “excessive” amount of time showed higher-than-normal levels of testosterone and lower levels of LH, a reproductive hormone. Thus, their sperm counts (and amount of healthy sperm) were significantly decreased, enough to cause male infertility in some.
The problem, according to Queen’s University, Australia, researchers appears to be abnormal testosterone levels associated with very high cell phone usage. Of course, why this is happening isn’t cut and dry. That’s why studies are being conducted across the globe to address the strange phenomenon. After all, it could be that men with naturally higher testosterone levels engage in more intense cell phone usage than their counterparts with lower testosterone levels.
Until it’s clear whether or not cell phones are, indeed, a contributing factor to male infertility, it may be a good idea to follow these simple guidelines, which are safety-first anyway:
1. If you cannot be free from your cell phone, you may have the beginnings of a problem or true addiction. Take breaks from being “on call” 24/7, as it will be good for your mental health, if nothing else!
2. Don’t keep your cell phone in your front pocket or on your lap. Some research has shown that low levels of radiation are emitted from cell phones; thus, they should be kept far away from genitalia.
3. If you’re having trouble with male infertility, don’t stop using your cell phone, but do ask your fertility specialist if he or she thinks it could be a problem. Not all will agree with the researchers, but it’s worth considering every possibility.
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Tags: Amount Of Time, Cell Phone Usage, Companions, Counterparts, Dr. Munabi, fertility specialist, Genitalia, Infertility, Male Infertility, Medical Professionals, Mental Health, radiation, Reproductive Science Institute, Researc, Rsi, S University, Significant Impact, Sperm Counts, Strange Phenomenon, Testosterone, Testosterone Levels, True Addiction, University Australia
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Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
The term “varicoceles” may not be a household word, but for men, having the condition can lead to male infertility, among other medical problems.
Simply put, varicoceles are enlarged veins located in the testicles. (Think of the term “varicose veins”, which has a similar sound to it as “varicoceles” due to the etymology of the words.) Those enlarged veins cause a noticeable, soft, lumpy mass. They also contribute to conception difficulties. And a recent release from top U.S. researchers suggests that varicoceles may even stifle testosterone production, leading to other issues like depression, higher risk of heart attack and more.
So how many males have this condition? Some researchers suggest the figure could be as high as 15%, though a large number of men have no idea that they are afflicted with the condition. The onset of varicoceles seems to be puberty, but may come at any time during a man’s life.
Typically, until intense discomfort or male infertility symptoms arise, varicoceles aren’t touched, though a cadre of surgeons is pushing for men to address their varicoceles with a varicocelectomy. (Interestingly, physicians are more concerned with the low levels of testosterone associated with varicoceles than with fertility issues.) Varicoceles can be addressed using microsurgical techniques which have been proven to be lower in risk than ever before and quite effective.
If you’re concerned that you or your partner could have varicoceles, it’s important to contact your primary doctor and/or a reputable fertility specialist like those at Philadelphia area’s RSI clinic.
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Tags: Abraham Munabi, conception difficulties, Dr. Munabi, Etymology, Facebook, Fertility Issues, fertility specialist, Heart Attack, Household Word, Infertility, Male Infertility, Medical Problems, Philadelphia Area, Puberty, Reproductive Science Institute, Risk Of Heart Attack, Rsi, Similar Sound, Testicles, Twitter, Varicocelectomy, Varicoceles, Varicose Veins
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Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
You want to go to a reproductive health specialist and discuss fertility problems you and your partner have had. But whenever you bring up the subject, he becomes defensive and refuses to attend even an exploratory meeting with a physician… let alone hear you out.
What gives?
For many men, especially those who were raised in families where infertility and reproductive health were “verboten” issues, discussing topics like this can be extremely difficult. And for other men, there can be an overwhelming fear that they might be facing male infertility.
What many men simply don’t realize is that male infertility is quite common. In fact, just as many fertility problems can be caused by male infertility factors as female infertility factors! But that can be little relief for the wife or partner of the man who won’t even discuss going to a doctor.
If you’re with someone who finds the male infertility discussion difficult, there are a few routes you can take.
First, you can make an appointment on your own to see a reproductive health specialist who can assist you in getting some information.
Next, you can get in touch with a counselor who might be able to give you advice on broaching the subject of male infertility.
Finally, you may just have to be patient but direct. If you both want children and you haven’t conceived naturally (though you’ve been having sexual intercourse regularly and without protection) in a 6-12 month period, there’s something amiss. That could be the bare fact that gets him to attend an appointment in the hopes of getting one step closer to a solution.
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Tags: Appointment, Counselor, female infertility, Fertility Problems, Having Sexual Intercourse, Health Specialist, Infertility, Male Infertility, Many Men, Overwhelming Fear, Reproductive Health, Reproductive Science Insitiute, Rsi
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Friday, March 4th, 2011
Could male infertility evaluations begin to include a tape measure? Maybe, if research findings hold true.
Crotch length (also known as anogenital distance or AGD) – the distance between the underside of the scrotum and the rectum – may have implications when it comes to sperm production and quality. And this news could assist reproductive health specialists when dealing with male infertility and treatments.
A recent study from the journal Environmental Health Perspectives indicated that although the AGD has long been known as a factor of infertility in laboratory rat populations, it’s only now being researched in humans. And just as in rats, a shorter AGD seems to be connected with male infertility .
Why do some men have a lower-than-average AGD? Though it’s impossible to say due to each man’s unique physical characteristics and genetics, a shorter AGD may have something to do with the way the male developed when in utero. And many scientists are beginning to speculate that shortened AGDs can be the result of early exposure to phthalates, found in plastics that are common in homes and offices.
One more notable item from the study – a longer-than-average AGD appeared to have no bearing on increased sperm count, motility or quality.
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Tags: Agd, Bearing, Environmental Health Perspectives, Fertility, Genetics, Infertility, Infertility Evaluations, Infertility Treatments, Laboratory Rat, Male Infertility, Motility, Physical Characteristics, Plastics, Rats, Rectum, Reproductive Health Specialists, Reproductive Science Institute, Research Findings, Rsi, Scrotum, Tape Measure, Utero
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Monday, February 28th, 2011
In the past decade or so, the realization has come about that bones are more than simply a structure to hold our organs, muscles and skin. There are in fact correlations to the internal make-up of bones and energy metabolism as well as reproduction. It is well-known that there is a connection between menopause and osteoporosis in women. Thus, it came a surprise to Gerald Karsenty and his colleagues at Columbia University in New York City that their study with mice showed a relationship between bone cells and sperm production in male mice, yet no effect (at this time) on any female reproductive aspects.
To break the study down, osteocalcin is a hormone contained in osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are bone cells that partake in building new bone cells. In this study, the researchers took osteoblasts and combined them with cell cultures from either testes or ovaries of mice. The results showed a great increase in testosterone in the testis cells but no reaction or change in hormones in the ovary cells due to the introduction of the osteoblasts. Given these results, the researchers went on to inject osteoblasts into the blood stream of male mice, which resulted in increased production of testosterone in the blood stream. To further specify their testing, the researchers took a batch of male mice and removed their gene for osteocalcin. The mice without osteocalcin had smaller testes, lower sperm counts and smaller litter sizes when bred than normal male mice.
Though this study has only been performed on mice at this time, Karsenty has strong feelings that the hormone osteocalcin may play a factor in fertilty in men and believes that it could possibly be used in the future in treatments for male infertilty.
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Tags: Blood Stream, Bone Cells, Cell Cultures, Columbia University, Correlations, Dr. Munabi, Energy Metabolism, Fertility, Fertilty, Hormones, Infertilty, Litter Sizes, Low Sperm Count, Male Factor, Male Fertility, Male Infertility, Male Mice, Menopause And Osteoporosis, Osteocalcin, Ovaries, Ovary, Reproductive Aspects, Rsi, Sperm Counts, Testes, Testosterone
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Friday, October 1st, 2010
If you’re trying to get pregnant and undergoing fertility treatments, here’s another reason to stop smoking — a new study has found a link suggesting that pregnant women who smoke may be affecting the fertility of their babies, especially male children.
The German study, published in an early September edition of “Human Reproduction” (a medical journal), used 37-68 day old embryos to evaluate the development of the testes. The study found a significant correlation between mothers who smoked and a reduction in the normal number of reproductive cells and somatic cells in their offspring.
Although more evidence needs to be collected regarding this matter, it’s important that all women who are trying to conceive stop smoking. Not only is it better for a child’s health and development, but it’s also better for the mommy.
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Tags: Babies, Correlation, Early September, Embryos, Fertility Treatments, German Study, Health And Development, Human Reproduction, Medical Journal, Miracles, Mommy, Offspring, Pregnant Women, Reason To Stop Smoking, Reproductive Cells, Somatic Cells, Testes, Trying To Conceive, Trying To Get Pregnant
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Friday, September 10th, 2010
If you’re a male and you and your partner are having trouble conceiving a child naturally, the blame may lay with one of your habits — smoking.
As a recent WebMD article notes:
What appears to be happening is that smoking-damaged sperm lose much of their ability to fight off destructive oxygen molecules — free radicals — in the seminal fluid. Interestingly, in addition to making spermcells more sensitive to oxidative stress, smoking itself increases the concentration of free radicals in the seminal fluid.
The upshot of this finding is that the damage to sperm appears to be temporary. This means if a male quits smoking, within several months he can, for all intents and purposes, reverse the fertility issues caused by smoking.
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Tags: conceiving a child, Concentration, Fertility Issues, free radicals, Intents And Purposes, Miracles, oxidative stress, Oxygen Molecules, Quit Smoking, Rsi, Seminal Fluid, Sperm Cells, Upshot, Webmd Article
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Saturday, July 10th, 2010
Men who expect to one day become fathers may have serious decisions to make if they are diagnosed with cancer, as many types of treatment options can leave a cancer patient infertile.
How quickly does the process of infertility happen? Some researchers say that within a week of undergoing radiation or chemotherapy, a male’s infertility can be seriously — or entirely — compromised.
The phenomenon isn’t limited to testicular cancer, either, because it’s not where the cancer strikes that’s at issue; it’s what kind of remedy is chosen to eradicate (or slow) the cancer cells.
Though men who have been diagnosed as having cancer are usually not considering future concerns such as whether they can have children, it may be worth investigating options, such as the freezing of healthy sperm pre-treatment.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong did before he underwent treatment to deal with his cancer, and other men around the world have done so, too.
Certainly, the foremost goal is to attack the cancer. But it’s worth thinking long-term, too.
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Tags: Add New Tag, Cancer Cells, Cancer Patient, Cancer Strikes, Chemotherapy, Cyclist Lance Armstrong, Decisions, Foremost Goal, Infertility, Lance Armstrong, Miracles, Phenomenon, radiation, Remedy, Testicular Cancer, Treatment Options
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Sunday, June 27th, 2010
This just in from a CBS news article…
It would appear from some preliminary research performed by Australian scientists that, as might be suspected, infertilitymay be a factor that’s driven by couple-specific physical incompatibilities. Thus, a man may have fertility difficulties with one woman but not with others.
The crux of the problem appears to be in how the woman’s body reacts to the man’s sperm. If her body is accepting of his particular sperm, she’ll enable his sperm to fertilize her eggs. If her body isn’t accepting of his sperm make-up, natural conception will be more difficult.
This isn’t to suggest, of course, that any of this “denying or accepting” is happening on a conscious level. Neither men nor women can innately control the way their bodies respond. But it could lead to future fertility treatment options that, until now, haven’t been attempted.
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Tags: Australian Scientists, Cbs, Cbs News, Conscious Level, Crux, Driven, Eggs, Females, Fertility Treatment, Incompatibilities, Infertility, Miracles, Natural Conception, News Article, News Report, Preliminary Research, sperm, Treatment Options, Woman
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Straight from the University of Virginia comes a home test that might just make it easier for men with fertility concerns to gauge their sperm counts from the comfort of their own homes.
Called SpermCheck Fertility, the University of Virginia’s new technology has received FDA approval and should be available in pharmacies in late 2010.
SpermCheck Fertility requires only a few drops of semen in order to test sperm count and has been deemed to be relatively accurate overall.
This is an amazing breakthrough in helping males dealing with fertility issues, as it gives them a greater power. It will be interesting to see how it’s used over the next year or so…
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Tags: Add New Tag, Breakthrough, Fda, Fda Approval, Fertility Concerns, Fertility Issues, Home Test, Miracles, New Technology, Pharmacies, Semen, Sperm Counts, University Of Virginia
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