Infertility is a medical condition that leads to being incapable of conceiving. Usually, many female partners, for internal and external reasons, experience such issues. But, in addition to women, many men have also been diagnosed with the same condition of being unable to become fathers. Regarding this, several reasons play a crucial role in making the male partner infertile.
In this blog, Dr. Niren Rao- a top-notch urologist for male infertility treatment in Delhi, will address factors affecting the fertility of male partners. So read the post carefully.
What is Male Infertility?
Male infertility is a medical condition in which the male partner cannot produce or release adequate sperm during intercourse. The reasons for this situation are listed below:
- Hormonal Imbalance
Similar to females, the male body also undergoes periodic changes. Stress, anxiety, unhealthy eating habits, alcohol, etc. also lead to various physical discomforts, including those pertinent to producing adequate amounts of quality sperm.
- Genital Infection
Males’ genital organs are quite sensitive to fungal infection. Due to poor hygiene, a bacterial infection of the male genitalia affects the sperm count.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Male genitals also get infected by sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases in males like herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, warts, and chlamydia UTIs affect their fertility and organ damage.
- Obstruction or Blockage
The VAS deferens, also called the ductus deferens, is a muscular tube connected to the epididymis (the place where sperm forms and is stored). This tube transmits sperm from the epididymis to the penis. Blockage of this pathway interrupts its function to release sperm as a result occurs.
- Ejaculation Disorder
Premature ejaculation plays a vital role in male infertility. In addition to this, retrograde – a condition in which semen drifts from the penis to the bladder, also makes males unable to ejaculate the sperm to the fertile land.
Medication and Treatment
Certain medications and treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical procedures also affect various aspects of male infertility.
To diagnose a male partner’s infertility, semen analysis is the primary medical examination. This analysis details:
- Volume of Sperm
- Number of good quality sperm cells
- The ratio of damaged, infected sperms cells to the sperm count
- Motality (Sperm’s ability to swim)
- Morphology (Sperms shape, size, and structure)
- Vitality to determine the percent of live sperm in the semen
- PH analysis
Based on the semen analysis, further examination is required to determine the root cause of low sperm counts.
Treatment for Male infertility
- VASO-Epididymal Anastomosis
Vaso-epididymal anastomosis, or vasoepididymostomy, is a surgical treatment for male infertility. This procedure treats obstructive azoospermia (absence of sperm in semen) caused by blockage of the vas deferens. It removes the blocking factor from the pathway and makes it clear for sperm to traverse.
- PESA
The medical treatment known as percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) is performed to remove mature sperm from the epididymis, the coiled tube on the back of the testicles where it is stored. When an impediment or blockage prevents sperm from being present in the ejaculate, PESA is carried out as part of assisted reproductive procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Under local anesthesia or sedation, a needle is immediately injected into the epididymis during the PESA process. The epididymal tubules are accessed with a needle to aspirate (suck out) fluid or sperm. After that, the fluid is evaluated in a lab setting to find and collect healthy sperm cells for use in IVF or ICSI.
PESA is often advised for men with obstructive azoospermia, in which sperm cannot reach the semen due to a physical obstacle or blockage.
- TESA
Testicular Sperm Aspiration is known as TESA. It is a medical treatment used to remove sperm straight from the testicles for use in in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), two assisted reproductive methods. TESA is often carried out when sperm production is impaired or obstructive azoospermia (the absence of sperm in the ejaculate due to obstruction) is present.
A tiny biopsy device or thin needle is introduced into the testis during the TESA procedure while the patient is sedated or under local anesthesia. The testicles are then opened, and the seminiferous tubules—where sperm are made—are carefully sampled for tissue or fluid. To locate and harvest viable sperm cells, the acquired samples are evaluated in the lab.
It is a less intrusive procedure than surgical sperm retrieval methods like testicular sperm extraction (TESE) or microdissection TESE, which are frequently used when the sperm count is extremely low or when an impediment or blockage is preventing the sperm from normally passing through the reproductive canal.
- Micro-TESSE
When performing Micro-TESE, as opposed to other sperm retrieval methods like TESA or TESE, an operating microscope is used, which offers improved magnification and visualization of the testicular tissue; as a result, regions of the testicles where sperm production occurs can be more precisely identified and extracted.
It is a more specialized and sophisticated approach. Even in cases of severe sperm production issues, it has the advantage of improving the likelihood of identifying viable sperm by focusing on locations with active sperm production.
ConclusionInfertility is a medical condition that can affect men too. Male fertility affected by lifestyle, stress, unhealthy lifestyle, or other reasons is treatable. Regarding this, consultation with the best urologist is recommended. Dr. Niren Rao is the best urology doctor in Delhi that a couple can consider for male infertility treatment. Schedule an appointment with him at Dr. Niren Rao’s Urology Practice today!
Dr. Niren Rao 