What Causes Fertility Problems in Men?
In men, the most common reasons for infertility are sperm disorders. These problems include: • Low sperm count. This means there are too few or no spermatozoa in the semen. • Low sperm motility. This means that the sperm don’t move as well as they should. • Malformation of the sperm. • Blocked sperm ducts. Another common problem is a temporary drop in sperm production. This happens when the testicles have been injured, such as when the testicles have been too hot for too long or the man has been exposed to chemicals or medications that affect sperm production. Spending a long time in a hot tub, for example, or wearing underwear that holds the testicles too close to the body can increase the testicular temperatures and impair sperm production. Sometimes there is a physical reason. In the relatively common condition called varicocele, veins around the vas deferens (the duct that carries sperm from testicle to urethra) becomes dilated — similar to a varicose vein in the leg. The pooling
