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Male and Female Infertility – Causes
About 20 percent of the couples in the United States have to deal with the problem of infertility. About 40 percent of infertility cases are due to a problem with the sperm of the male. About another 40 percent of the causes of infertility are due to a problem with the female. These causes include ovulation problems, tubal problems, endometriosis and cervical factors. About 20 percent of the infertility cases are due to problems in both the male and female or of unknown cause.
The infertility problems in men can be caused by problems in their sperm. Some men have a low sperm count. The normal sperm count in one milliliter of semen is over 20 million. A man with a sperm count of 5 to 20 million is considered subfertile. A man with a sperm count of less than 5 million is considered infertile. Sperm that do not swim well (sperm motility) and do not have normal structures may also cause problems. Some sperm may be immature or have abnormalities in their head or tail. A semen sample has to contain less than 25 percent of these types of sperm to be considered normal. An abnormal volume of semen can also decrease the chances of successful fertilization.
There are many conditions that can adversely affect your sperm such as having only one testicle, testicles that are smaller than normal, or abnormally large veins (varicocele) in the testicles. There are things that might affect the formation of sperm (spermatogenesis) including exposure to various toxins, alcohol abuse, drug use, anabolic steroid use, diabetes and thyroid or other endocrine diseases. There are treatments that might help with male infertility. Your doctor can improve your sperm motility by injecting small doses of testosterone. You can get rid of varicoceles through surgery. There is also a procedure called artificial insemination that might help. Artificial insemination is a mechanical means of depositing the male’s most motile sperm or donor sperm into the uterus of the female.
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