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Posts Tagged ‘Low Sperm Count’

Know the Facts about Male Infertility

Monday, October 31st, 2011

As we’ve noted here before, up to a third of all cases of infertility between couples can be attributed to male infertility factors. But how much do you really know about this condition?

To help you understand male infertility a little better, we’ve amassed a series of statistics and facts:

• In the United States, around 6 percent of men aged teen to midlife have fertility difficulties. Outside of the United States, especially in developing countries, that figure can be significantly higher.

• Up to 71 percent of males who are diagnosed as infertile have infections, many of which are caused by untreated sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like chlamydia.

• Up to 90 percent of male infertility causes can be traced back to low sperm count. (Again, that low sperm count can be the result of many different issues, including an undiagnosed STD.)

• One in 25 males has a low sperm count. (This may or may not lead to male infertility, as the determining factor is whether or not the sperm are healthy and viable.)

• Blood tests and semen analysis are the most popular ways to determine the cause of male infertility.

• Some sources suggest that male infertility may be more prevalent than female infertility, although this hypothesis is heavily debated in the fertility specialist community.

If you’re interested in learning more about male infertility and you’re in the Philadelphia or Wyomissing, PA areas, please contact the Reproductive Science Institute today for an appointment. We’d be happy to discuss and evaluate your unique situation.

 

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25 Contributors to Male and Female Infertility, part 2

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Ever wonder what causes or contributes to a woman or man’s infertility?   Our 3-part series takes a brief look at 25 factors that can result in infertility for males and females.

  • 8.  Dietary and Weight Issues – Obesity and malnutrition are serious contributors to infertility.  Any adult above or below normal BMI levels may find him- or herself unable to have a child without assistance from a reproductive health specialist.
  • 9.  Endometriosis – Not only is endometriosis a painful condition experienced by hundreds of thousands of women, but it’s also one of the leading causes of infertility.  Ironically, many women with endometriosis do not realize they have the condition (despite the pain/discomfort associated with it) until they experience fertility problems.
  • 10.  Genetic Conditions – Carrying an extra X or Y chromosome can lead to infertility in both men and women.
  • 11.  “Hostile” Cervical Mucus – A woman’s cervical mucus may actually be considered “hostile” to the sperm of her partner.  Essentially, this means the mucus does not allow fertility to take place because it sees the sperm as an invader.  There are numerous treatments to handle this type of situation.
  • 12.  Low Sperm Count and/or Motility – If a male’s sperm count is too low OR if his sperm do not have the power to get to the egg, infertility will likely result.
  • 13.  Medical Conditions – Some medical conditions such as diabetes and Crohn’s disease are contributing factors to infertility in both males and females.
  • 14.  Medications – Some medications may inhibit fertility in those taking them; therefore, it’s critical to always understand possible side effects when trying to have a child.
  • 15.  Ovulation Disorders – Ovulation is critical to fertility.  If a woman’s body is not ovulating on a regular basis, there will either be a) no egg for the sperm to fertilize or b) an egg available for fertilization only some of the time.  Fortunately, there are prescription medications like Clomid that can help women ovulate.

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Male Fertility Linked to Bone Construction

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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