Male Infertility

For a male to be fertile, the testis should produce millions of sperms which are then transported to the epididymis where they mature. Then they travel through the vas deferens to the seminal vesicles where the seminal fluid gets mixed with the sperms. Then through the ejaculatory duct and the prostrate, the semen is expelled through the urethra and then ejaculated through the penis.

a) WHAT will GO WRONG?

A defect during the fertilization stages in your reproductive system might be the reason for your infertility. In majority of the cases you would be diagnosed as infertile as a result of a defect in production of the sperms, obstruction in the transport of the sperms or the sperm quality. Each problem has a cause which needs to be understood. An understanding of the problems may be a step towards treating infertility.

The cause of the problem may be due to multiple sex partners, sexually transmitted diseases, past history of orchititis or epididymitis excessive drinking, smoking, use of marijuana, cocaine, opiate, heroin etc.

b) Cystic fibrosis and male infertility

Males with cystic fibrosis have congenital absence of vas deferens which connects testis and epididymitis to the ejaculatory duct. Therefore the sperms cannot reach the penis. Testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) is done to obtain sperms for ICSI which gives excellent results Cystic fibrosis is more prevalent in European population and its incidence is less in Asians. Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disorder and any carrier should get the female partner screened for the abnormal gene.