Male Infertility Causes

The most common male infertility causes have to do with the man’s sperm. Either the man’s sperm count is too low or its quality is poor. If the quality of the sperm is low this could cause the sperm to move too slowly or in the wrong direction, or to be abnormally shaped.

The following are many of the male infertility causes:

• Under developed testes: This male infertility cause could have resulted from a previous mumps infection, a birth defect, an injury, or a hernia surgery.
• Un-descended Testes: This issue is usually present as soon as you are born. It is a condition where the testes stay in the body cavity instead of descending into the scrotum as they should before birth.
• Swollen veins in the man’s scrotum.
• Infections like tuberculosis or gonorrhea can cause blockages in the ducts that the sperm travel through.
• Being exposed to chemical pesticides or metals like lead could cause male infertility.
• Various medications such as Dilantin (phenytoin), Axulfidine (sulfasalazine), Tagamet (cimetidine), coricosteroids and drugs used for chemotherapy such as Neosar (cyclophosphamide) and Cytoxan have been labeled as male infertility causes.
• Testicle injuries
• Chronic infections of the prostate

Other common male infertility causes are:

• An Auto-immune disorder that causes the cells or antibodies in the man’s immune system to attack his sperm cells because they are mistaken for harmful intruders. The antibodies may cling to the sperm which could result in the sperm sticking together which could prevent the sperm from getting through the cervical mucus or the egg.

What Causes Auto-immune deficiencies in men?

This condition can often develop after a vasectomy. After the procedure sperm will still be produced and could end up leaking out into the body where they will be targeted by immune cells as invaders of the body. And, unfortunately, even if the vasectomy is reversed this auto-immune disorder may still continue.

These antibodies that target sperm as invaders are also present in men who have not had vasectomies, this is actually is a male infertility cause in about 10% of infertile men. In these situations, the existance of these anti-bodies are usually unknown.

• Retrograde ejaculation: this problem occurs when the urethra muscles don’t force the sperm out, which will instead cause them to travel backward to the bladder. The following are causes of retrograde ejaculation:
• Prescription drugs such as high blood pressure medications or tranquilizers.
• Diseases such as multiple sclerosis or diabetes.
• Bladder, prostate, or neck surgery.
• An injury to the spinal cord.

Rare male infertility causes:

• Sexual issues such as premature ejaculation, painful intercourse, or impotence. These issues are easiliy treatable.
• Genetic structure problems or defects. For example, in cases of germ-cell aplasia, the germ cells that produce sperm do not develop properly. Additionally, specific gene or Y chromosomal defects have also been seen as one of the male infertility causes.
• male infertility causes can, in rare cases, be caused by a hormonal problem that lowers or may even stop the sperm production. These hormonal issues may be present as soon as birth or can gradually develop from pituitary gland or brain tumors, or the radiation used to treat cancer. Again, in rare cases, hormonal difficulties can also be caused by overexercising, malnutrition, or other diseases.