How to become MORE fertile - Causes of male infertility

You might have been trying to conceive a baby for months now. It starts to affect your mood, self esteem and the quality of intercourse you are having. Or maybe you are not yet trying to have a baby, but you are wondering about your fertility.

Anyhow, this video is meant for you. We will cover potential causes of infertility, some practical tips and much, much more.

This video is part of a videoseries on sex and urinal tract related medical problem. Find the playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaG3Bo3L0gX6I4FYPkL6bJ1Xx7dRs697P

Causes of male infertility
- Varicocele: This is swelling of the veins in the scrotum. Normally these veins drain the blood from your testicles, but if there is an abnormal blood flow this can lead to a reduced sperm quantity and quality.
- Inflammation of your testicles of epididymis: This can be caused by an autoimmune disorder or infection, such as gonorrhea or HIV. Those can cause scarring in the tissue which produces, stores and transport sperm. This could permanently impact sperm quality and quantity.
- Deviating hormone balances: Examples of this group are certain tumors which affect your testicles or hormone producing glands or chromosomal defects like Klinefelter's syndrome.
- Several medical treatments might cause infertility, such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or certain medications, like steroid use.

Risk factors
- Over exposure to certain chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, overexposure to heavy metals and overexposure to radiation or X-rays.
- The same is true for overheating the testicles. Frequent use of saunas or hot tubs may therefore temporarily impair your sperm count.
- Other risk factors are steroid use, usage of cocaine or marijuana, drinking too much alcohol, tobacco smoking, being overweight, sitting for long periods and wearing tight clothing.

When should you contact your doctor?
As might be obvious, the main sign of male infertility is the inability to conceive a child, even though you have had frequent, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or longer. This would be a good reason to contact your doctor.
Depending on the underlying cause, male infertility might cause no other obvious signs or symptoms. However, common symptoms can be difficulty with ejaculation, small volumes of sperm, reduced sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, pain, swelling or a lump in your testes, inflammation of your testicles, abnormal breast growth, inability to smell and decreased facial or body hair.
If you do experience any of these, than please contact your doctor.

Tips:
- Maintain a healthy weight and eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Don’t smoke, limit your alcohol consumption and avoid illicit drugs.
- Minimize and manage your stress.
- Exercise regularly.
- Avoid lubricants during sex.
- Discuss the medications you are using with your doctor. As those might affect your fertility. .
- Avoid prolonged heat on the testicles.
- And lastly prevent a STI, as those can sometimes lead to infertility.

Potential treatment options
- Surgery.
- When dealing with an infections, like a STI, your might prescribe antibiotics. Those can cure the infection, but might not always restore fertility,
- In addition you doctor could prescribe medication which might improve erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.
- Next up, if your hormone levels aren’t sufficient, your doctor might recommend hormone replacement medication.
- The last treatment option is ART: Assisted reproductive technology.

- Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. -

Literature:
1: Mayo clinic staff. (2021). Male infertility. Mayo clinic
2: Mayo clinic staff. (2022). Getting pregnant. Mayo clinic
3: American Urological Association. (2022). What is Male Infertility? Urology care foundation.
4: CDC. (2022). Infertility FAQs. CDC.

* The images in this video are used for educational purposes only. Most of the images and video material in this video come from https://www.canva.com/.

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