Dr Michael Baah Biney: Let us talk about male infertility

Children are indeed a gift from God.

The African model of our upbringing stands out as seemingly as men being 100% fertile and that if a couple has difficulty in conceiving, we automatically place it at the doorstep of the female. The African social fiber has it that men are infallible and flawless with regard to infertility.

It is the notion of many men that so far as they don’t have erectile difficulties, then automatically they are good to go-“I am fertile; no problems with infertility”. This is why many men do not accompany their wives to the hospital during issues of infertility, but sometimes later realize the problem is from them. You should see the faces of men when they are told the difficulty to conceive is from them and can be corrected; eyes widely opened, mouth gaping, and in awe facial expressions.

Research has it that if a couple has difficulty in achieving pregnancy after 1 year of regular, unprotected, satisfactory, and adequate sex (greater than or equal to 3 times of sex per week), then that couple needs to be investigated for infertility.

Did you know that 30 percent of infertility issues are male-affiliated? Thirty percent are female-related with the other 30 percent being both male and female caused and the remaining 10 percent yet to be clearly elucidated.

Today our article is about male causes of infertility.

Varicocele

For good sperm production, temperature is vital. Averagely, the requisite temperature for sperm production is 34 degrees Celsius. Varicocele is a medical condition where the pampiniform plexuses (blood pipelines that take blood away from the testes) become engorged and dilated.

Due to their dilated state, they poorly take waste and heat away from the testes increasing testicular pressure and heat that antagonizes sperm production. This is the most common correctable male cause of infertility. Men living with varicocele have the sperm analysis and fertility return to normal as soon as 3 months after surgical correction.

Normally, the two testicles should be felt when palpating the scrotum but in the case of varicocele, you may feel an additional rough feeling like a “bag of worms or boiled spaghetti”. It is best felt after a long day or standing. It has a dragging feel or heaviness in the scrotum.

You can self-examine your scrotum today to feel with your bare hands when you are about to take your bath to catch varicocele. It’s a simple and fast self-examination. Did you know that varicocele accounts for up to 40% of male infertility? It is commoner in the left part of the scrotum.

Cryptorchidism

Did you know that some male infertility causes start from neonatal age? Cryptorchidism is the medical term denoting undescended testes. Every male has two testicles in the scrotum. In a few males, one testis can be felt or none at all.

The full manifestation of such infertility may be felt later in life and in marriage. During fetal life, about the 7 month, the testes are resident in the abdomen which has a temperature of 36.7-degree celsius on average, which is not compatible with good sperm production.

So nature has it that by the 9th month, the testes should relocate into the scrotum. Failure for this to happen will destroy the sperm-producing component of the testes.

Mothers, grannies, nannies and caretakers are advised to feel for testes in the scrotum of their male babies and report to the health facility as soon as one or both can’t be felt. You may be saving the next generation of your family lineage when you do so.

Lifestyle and recurrent infections

Humans like to feel free and have fun. In doing so, we must be mindful of how they go a long way in affecting our health and fertility. If you have been informed of infertility issues like low sperm count, you would want to do away with smoking and alcohol. Alcohol and smoking affect sperm Quantity and Quality. The two Qs are needed to have a fertilized egg to form a baby.

Fashion is the order of the day where people tend to wear tight-fitting clothing to look smart and sharp. Too much tight clothing especially underwear can affect sperm production because the tight outfit brings the testes so close to the warm body.

In the normal state, the testes are in a hanging position but drawn to the groin when it is cold. Wearing these tight clothing brings the testes close to the groin often throughout the whole day in this warm tropical environment of ours.

Remember the preliminary statement in the early paragraphs of this that underscores temperature as crucial in sperm production.

Also, dark underwears tend to absorb heat dangerous to healthy sperm production. Please change them.

At home, I will entreat men to wear loose clothing to free the “all day suffocating” testes. Long-distance truck drivers should take breaks as the long prolonged sitting produces heat affecting sperm production. Authorities advise that engines of trucks not be positioned under the driver’s seat.

Also, authorities of restaurants should institute rotation among their cooks to reduce the length of stay close to the heat used in cooking. Any type of urinary tract infection has the propensity to cause infertility. Many people stop taking prescribed drugs for urinary symptoms when symptoms subside. I often hear client say this, “doc, I stopped taking the meds because I don’t have the symptoms again.”

Although that sounds appealing to my hearing because the therapy worked, I am not entirely happy because the mere absence of symptoms doesn’t preclude infection. Long-standing recurrent, and improperly treated infection can go a long way to affect the tubes that carry sperms from the testes causing infertility problems.

Take key steps to protect the future generations to come. A word to the wise is enough.

Source: Ghana News