Causes of male infertility
In medical practice, it is customary to distinguish several forms of male infertility: secretory, obturation and immunological. Each condition is caused by various deviations that in one way or another affect fertility — the ability of the body to reproduce offspring.
An important factor affecting the success of fertilization of an egg is such an indicator as the time of sexual intercourse relative to ovulation, since the viability of spermatozoa in a woman’s body after ejaculation ranges from 48 to 72 hours. In addition, the quantitative and qualitative composition of the seminal fluid (morphology, sperm motility, etc.) is of great importance.
The main cause of male infertility is congenital or acquired sperm quality disorders:
oligospermia — decrease in total sperm concentration (less than 20 million per 1 ml of sperm)
aspermia — complete absence of spermatozoa in the ejaculate
asthenospermia — decreased motility of spermatozoa
necrospermia — absence of motile spermatozoa
teratospermia — violation of the structure of spermatozoa (pathological morphology)
In addition, there are often mixed forms of pathology (oligoastenospermia, asthenoteratospermia, etc.), in which several violations of qualitative indicators are detected simultaneously. The probability of pregnancy in this case is significantly reduced.
Factors of occurrence and development of male infertility
The occurrence and development of male infertility may be due to several factors:
diseases of the genitourinary system (varicocele, cryptorchidism, orchoepidymitis, etc.)
inflammatory and infectious diseases (urethritis, prostatitis, gonorrhea, etc.)
hormonal disorders
surgical interventions and injuries of the genitourinary system
stressful situations (neuropsychiatric changes)
abuse of nicotine and alcohol
It should also be noted that recently pathogenic environmental factors have become increasingly important in the development of such a condition: ionizing radiation, exposure to high temperatures and toxic substances — all this can cause both temporary and lifelong sterilization.
