Infertility: Problems With the Man's Reproductive System
Topic Overview
The most common cause of male infertility is low sperm count. Absence of sperm in the semen is less common, affecting 1 out of 100 men and affecting 10 to 15 out of 100 infertile men. footnote 1
Causes of sperm count problems include:
- Hormonal problems in the testicles or pituitary gland . The pituitary gland releases hormones that stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone .
- Testicular injury or failure, either present at birth (congenital) or associated with radiation or toxic chemical exposure.
- Cancer treatment with certain kinds of chemotherapy or radiation.
- Antibodies that attack sperm and that also may be present in semen. Sperm antibodies sometimes develop when a man's sperm has been exposed to his immune system (outside of the testicles). This may happen after a vasectomy, an infection, or an injury to the testicles. footnote 2
- Drug use (some prescription medicines, and marijuana and tobacco use).
- Structural problems. These include:
- A varicocele in the testicles.
- Blocked ejaculation due to a surgical vasectomy .
- Absence of a vas deferens (a birth defect that may be associated with the cystic fibrosis genes).
- Retrograde ejaculation (the ejaculation of semen into the bladder rather than out through the penis).
- Chromosomal problems (such as Klinefelter syndrome ).
- Genetic problems.
See a picture of the male reproductive system .
Related Information
References
Citations
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine and Society for Male Reproduction and Urology (2008). Evaluation of the azoospermic male. Fertility and Sterility, 90(Suppl 5): S74–S77.
- Fritz MA, Speroff L (2011). Male infertility. In Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, 8th ed., pp. 1249–1292. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Credits
Current as of: February 11, 2020
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
Femi Olatunbosun MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Current as of: February 11, 2020
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Femi Olatunbosun MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology