Male Female Infertility

RISK FACTORS

Some reports show that industrialization had a serious impact on the reproductive system, because the quality of the semen has diminished on men from United States and Europe over the last century. The toxins (physical, chemical) are considered potential factors of infertility. For example, high temperature (hyperthermia), electromagnetic fields or radiation are some of the physical factors that cause infertility in men. Among the chemical factors we can enumerate marijuana, cocaine, smoking or alcohol consumed excessively. Other factors that cause infertility are pesticides, exposure to heavy metal, industrial toxins and many more. Also, nutrition, stress or other lifestyle factors represent a risk factor for infertility. 

In general the risk factors are the same for male and female infertility:

1)  Overweight. Being overweight and having a sedentary lifestyle are possible infertility causes. Many times obesity is associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

2) Underweight. Women with anorexia, bulimia or the ones who follow a strict diet low in calories are at risk of infertility. Vegetarians also may have a infertility problem caused by the absence of zinc, vitamin B-12, folic acid and iron from their alimentation.

3) Alcohol use. Women shouldn’t drink alcohol during conception or pregnancy. Alcohol consumed in moderate quantities doesn’t affect male fertility.

4) Smoking. Both women and men are reducing their chances of conceiving if they are smoking. In addition to this miscarriages occur more often at women who smoke. The sperm of men who smoke has a lower quality than the one of nonsmokers. Smoking marijuana also affects fertility.

5)  Caffeine. Studies show that an increased amount of caffeine may decrease the fertility especially in women. The risk of a miscarriage is higher on women who consume caffeine excessively. Caffeine can be found not only in coffee, it also found in tea, chocolate, some medications or soft drinks.

6) Exercise. Too much exercise (more than 7 hours a week) can cause ovulation problems. Exercises that are too exhausting can affect the in vitro fertilization treatment. But insufficient exercise can cause obesity and that is another risk of infertility.

7)  Age. The older the woman is the lower her chances of fertility are. The eggs of older women are disposed to chromosomal abnormalities. In addition to this, older women may have other health problems that could stand in the way of conceiving. After the fertilization takes place it is possible even for older healthy women to deliver the baby even though they had a risky pregnancy. After the age of 32 a woman’s fertility decreases.

8) Vaginal douching can cause gynecological problems that may affect fertility. It my cause infection, preterm birth, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

 9)  Sexual practices like having multiple partners without using a condom or having intercourse during menstruation increases the risk of transmitting organisms that may cause pelvic inflammatory disease causing infertility.

10)  Stress. The hypothalamus gland controls the reproductive hormones as well as the stress hormones. A high level of stress hormones can stop the menstruation. It is still unknown if the stress affects fertility, but is proven the fact that it affects the result of fertility treatments.

   Here are some risk factors for male infertility:

~ Testicular injury. Testicles can be easily injured during a fight or a strenuous sport. These injuries can lead to an inflammation reducing the blood supply of the testicles and damaging the cells that produce sperm.

- Surgical procedures such as: hernia repair, pelvic, bladder, prostate represent infertility risks.

- Exposure to excessive heat such as sauna or hot tub may affect the sperm quality.

- Tight pants or shorts could reduce the blood flowing in the groin affecting the sperm production. Hard bicycle seats can lead to circulatory problems of the groin.

-Obesity or malnutrition reduce the fertility.

- STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) like gonorrhea or Chlamydia are very dangerous because they don’t show any symptom and if they are not treated they might cause scarring of the tubes that carry the sperm. Sometimes lubricants contain spermicides so using them during intercourse can lead to a fertility problem.

- Exposure to toxic chemicals (lead, dioxins, aniline, radiation, cadmium) reduces fertility causing a disruption of the hormone.

- Medications such as: minoxidil, cimetidine, allopurinol, chochicine.

    There are also a series of conditions and treatments that contribute to male infertility:

- Diabetes. Complications of diabetes may cause blood vessel abnormalities leading to problems with erection or ejaculation. 

- High blood pressure and its medications like calcium, alpha blocker, channel blocker may be the cause for erectile problems.

- Fever and infections. Viral infections like mumps or prostates may cause a testicle inflammation. High fever caused by pneumonia or flu can affect the sperm. Tuberculosis can block the tubes that carry the sperm. Antibiotics that lead to infertility are: tetracycline, sufasalazine, ketoconazole, erythromycin.

- Kidney disease can interfere with sperm quality.

- Stroke, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis can cause erection problems.

- Cystic fibrosis is characterized by the increased production of mucus.

- Chromosomal abnormalities like Klinefelter’s syndrome interfere with fertility because it disrupts cell division or affects the development of testicles.

~ Birth defects. There are men who are born with  abnormalities of the reproductive system like the absence of the tubes that carry the sperm or undescended testicles.