Male Infertility

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Male Infertility

Summary

Infertility is a term doctors use if a man hasn't been able to get a woman pregnant after at least one year of trying. Causes of male infertility include

Physical problems with the testicles
Blockages in the ducts that carry sperm
Hormone problems
A history of high fevers or mumps
Genetic disorders
Lifestyle or environmental factors

About a third of the time, infertility is because of a problem with the man. One third of the time, it is a problem with the woman. Sometimes no cause can be found.

If you suspect you are infertile, see your doctor. There are tests that may tell if you have fertility problems. When it is possible to find the cause, treatments may include medicines, surgery, or assisted reproductive technology. Happily, many couples treated for infertility are able to have babies.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

How Common is Male Infertility, and What Are Its Causes? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Male Infertility (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Male Infertility (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Diagnostic Testing for Male Factor Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) - PDF Also in Spanish
Semen Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Testosterone Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Assisted Reproductive Technology: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Healthy Sperm: Improving Your Fertility (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) Also in Spanish
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
What Treatment Options Are Available for Male Infertility? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Living With

Foods That Can Affect Fertility (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Related Issues

Fertility Issues in Boys and Men with Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF
Low Testosterone and Men's Health (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
Optimizing Male Fertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)

Specifics

Dry Orgasm (Orgasm without Discharge of Semen) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Low Sperm Count (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Sperm Shape (Morphology): Does It Affect Fertility? (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) Also in Spanish

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: 48,XXYY syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: CATSPER1-related nonsyndromic male infertility (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: globozoospermia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: macrozoospermia (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: sensorineural deafness and male infertility (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita (National Library of Medicine)
Genetics Home Reference: Y chromosome infertility (National Library of Medicine)
Learning about Klinefelter Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)

Videos and Tutorials

Causes of Male Infertility (American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
Sperm release pathway (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

High Plasticizer Levels In Males Linked to Delayed Pregnancy for Female Partners (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Infertility Research at the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Infertility, Male (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Oligospermia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
Find a Urologist (Urology Care Foundation)

Patient Handouts

Semen analysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Testicular biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Basics

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Research

Resources

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