Male Fertility
Understanding fertility in men
Conceiving a healthy baby depends on a number of factors, including healthy sperm. In fact, male infertility is the second biggest issue after a woman’s age so it’s important to understand how the male reproductive system works.
Male factor infertility affects around half of all infertile couples, the good news is that the most common causes of male infertility are easily diagnosed, and most can also be treated.
Producing sperm
Sperm production starts in the testes, where the hormone testosterone is also produced. An average of 100 million sperm are produced every day in healthy young men. After sperm is produced, it will need to travel along a long channel system starting at the epididymis, where they mature along the way, before exiting via the ductal structures called vas deferens and then out the urethra as part of the ejaculate. The entire process of sperm production and maturation takes just under 3 months. Any serious illness may affect sperm production for up to three months.
A sperm consists of the head, tail and mid-piece sections. To successfully fertilise an egg, the sperm will need to be able to move its tail (motility) to propel itself through cervical mucus to then travel through the uterus and fallopian tube to reach the egg. It will also need to be normally shaped in order to penetrate the outer shell of the egg to deliver its genetic package contained in the head.
There are four key components necessary to achieve satisfactory sperm production and a pregnancy:
- Normal hormonal stimulation from the pituitary gland
- Normal sperm production in the tubules of the testes
- An unobstructed sperm pathway
- Effective natural sperm delivery
Try our Male Fertility Predictor.
Sperm production
Healthy sperm is vital to conceive a baby, which is made up of the head, where the genetic material needed for fertilisation is stored, a neck (mid-piece) and a tail for propulsion towards the egg.
More than 15 million sperm per mL need to be present in the semen for natural conception, and more than half of these need to be able to move forward quickly, with at least 4% bearing a normal shape.
Sperm and testosterone are both produced in the testes. Sperm then passes slowly through a series of long coiled tubules called the epididymis, where they mature so they can swim and penetrate an egg cell. They then travel via the vas deferens to the urethra and out of the penis as they are ejaculated.
The entire process of sperm formation takes about 72 days. Serious illness during this time can affect sperm quality and production for up to three months.
Abnormal sperm production
The most common causes of male infertility are:
- Azoospermia - where no spermatozoa are produced and/or found in the ejaculate.
- Oligospermia – where fewer spermatozoa are produced.
Sometimes, spermatozoa are malformed, and in rare cases, genetic diseases may be at fault. Other specific conditions include:
- Immunological infertility – where you develop antibodies against your own sperm
- Retrograde ejaculation – where sperm are not ejaculated through the urethra but into the urinary bladder
- Blockages in the vas deferens, due to injury or a previous vasectomy
- Subnormal quality of sperm
It is good to know that we have treatment strategies for all forms of male infertility – so if you are diagnosed with any of these symptoms, or a combination of both male and female causes, Virtus Fertility Centre Singapore can help.
How Does Age Affect Fertility in Men?
Men produce sperm their whole lives, so the effect of age on a man’s fertility is not as dramatic as in women. However, there are some important lifestyle factors to take into consideration. Sperm quality can be affected by:
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol
- Prescription medication, steroids and other drug use
- Excess weight and high Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Frequent exposure to heat
- Working in cramped conditions
- Exposure to environmental pollutants (e.g. bisphenol A found in plastic containers, pesticides etc)
- Exposure to radiation
- Acute viral illness