Understanding Male Infertility - The First Step To Getting Pregnant

For many couples, being unable to get pregnant is a crisis. The idea of bringing a baby into the world and raising a child and becoming a family is something that many couples dream of having yet for 1 in 10 American couples, they are considered infertile. When this happens, feelings of panic, guilt, and inadequacy are quite common. The stress and anxiety of being deemed infertile may be even greater in women who are over the age of 40 due to the smaller window of opportunity to become pregnant. However, being infertile does not mean you are sterile. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cite that 10 percent of couples are deemed infertile but about 1 to 2 percent of those couples are actually sterile and about half of the couples who seek medical assistance do eventually have a child whether on their own or with fertility treatments. With these statistics in mind, you should not lose hope if you think you are infertile.

A common misconception is that the majority of infertility is caused by something wrong with the woman's body however this is untrue. In roughly 40 percent of the cases, it has been found that women are the cause of the infertility, another 40 percent is caused by the man, and in 20 percent of the cases, infertility is caused by both partners. As infertility is caused by an equal number of men and women, it is important that both partners examined and undergo medical testing to determine the best possible treatment.

The most common reason for infertility in men is due to some sort of sperm disorder. Low sperm count, unusual movement of the sperm, unusual sperm shape, and blocked sperm ducts are common factors of sperm disorders. One other common cause of male infertility is a temporary drop in sperm production. This can happen when the man is exposed to chemicals or medications that cause this drop in production or when the testicles are exposed to extreme temperatures.

For example, if the man is in a hot tub for an extended period of time, the testicular temperature will rise which will cause a drop in sperm production. For some men, their lifestyles have a huge impact in the production of sperm. Alcohol and especially smoking can have a major negative impact on sperm production. Age also must be a consideration as sperm production typically lowers once the man reaches the age of 40.

By: Peter Yoo

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Getting pregnant is possible and many women have successfully brought a baby into this world. Keep an open mind and keep yourself as healthy as possible. To learn more about curing infertility in women, please take a moment to read this article and please visit pregnancyover40.tumblr.com for more information. Good luck and don't lose hope.