Report on Prevalence of Male Infertility

Brief Introduction about Prevalence of Male Infertility

      There are various problems faced by men and women after their marriage, and one of such common problem is male infertility. It is important to define male infertility so that it could be established whether a male is fertile or infertile. As per the concept, it is said that if a male has failed to come up with conception even after intercourse of 12 months, which is also unprotected sex, then it can be said that a male is infertile (Rowe, et al., 1993). The stats have shown that 1 out of every 6 males is dealing with the problem of infertility, which shows its prevalence in the society, however, the valid data in this regard is still lacking, and it needs a lot of research to get more verified data on male infertility. In 1866, the first study was published to deal with the issue of infertility. Since then, the research and data are not yet extensive to be analyzed, which means more research is needed (Irvine, 1998). It has been observed that data has been limited because the diagnosis of male infertility is difficult, which means that more viable diagnostic processes are needed to identify the issue of male infertility worldwide (Barratt, et al., 2017)

      The research data has estimated that around 15% of couples are dealing with the issue of infertility on a global scale. The contribution of male infertility in this regard is just 20 to 30%. But these numbers are not 100% correct as data is not global in nature, and it needs more valid research so that no questions are raised on its authenticity. According to a research study, around 30 million males are having the issue of infertility all around the world, and this issue was more prevalent in regions such as Eastern Europe and Africa (Agarwal, et al., 2015). It has been observed that there are various reasons behind male infertility. Males can have the issue of sperm formation and this kind of deficiency is common in males. Overall, facts and figures are evident to show that male infertility is a fact and it is prevalent all around the world, so it is vital for the stakeholders around the globe to take it seriously so that adequate measures are taken to deal with this problem (Meier, 2018)

Methods of Prevalence of Male Infertility

     It is important to mention here how this systematic review is going to be conducted. The topic of male infertility is not a common topic like many others, so it was hard to find relevant data for this topic. The help was taken from Google and Google Scholars to find relevant data as well as peer-reviewed articles so that more authentic & valid information is found and discussed. Empirical research data was searched from a variety of sources, and online resources along with books were also searched. To screen the relevant results, I used different keywords such as male infertility, male fertility, semen, conception, reproduction, and genetics etc.

Pre-testicular Causes of Prevalence of Male Infertility

    There are different causes behind male infertility, and one of them is Pre-testicular. The pre-testicular causes have been found common in various males, and it has been identified as a disorder named extra-gonadal endocrine (Wong, et al., 1978). It is important how the Pre-testicular issue works. It is not a common etiology with regard to male infertility. Due to insufficient LH secretion and GnRH, an issue is caused which is called hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). Due to such kinds of insufficiencies, two issues are caused; spermatogenesis, and deficient androgen secretion. It has been observed that hormonal abnormalities, hypothalamic tumors, genetic disorders, hemochromatosis, pituitary, and congenital GnRH deficiency play their part in developing HH. HH has been caused by various other issues as well such as obesity, nutritional deficiencies, and chronic illness (Friedman & Dull, 2012).

      It is important for males to receive proper attention and they are diagnosed properly so that their reasons behind infertility are known. It has been observed hormonal regulations of the normal levels also play their part in male infertility and some of these causes are narcotics, steroids, medication, low testosterone, as well as obesity (Stanford Health Care, 2019). The research has proved in so many cases that if a male is having an extensive amount of obesity, then he has a great risk of getting into a condition of Pre-testicular causes, which ultimately leads to male infertility. Varicocele is one of the associated issues in Pre-testicular conditions, where testicle veins are swollen (Dimitriadis, et al., 2017). There has been evidence found for tobacco smoking as well, because when the amount of smoking is more than average, then smoking can affect testicles, even they are damaged by the smoking, which means that males’ sperms are killed. If sperms are killed, then there is no chance for a male to have fertility (Oberlin, 2019). If males want to avoid the issue of infertility, then it is crucial for them to look at those factors, which are relevant to Pre-testicular causes so that they can avoid those things, which may prevent them from infertility (Oud, et al., 2019)

Testicular Causes of Prevalence of Male Infertility

    This is another major cause of infertility in males. It has been observed that testicular causes are associated with defection in sperm production on a normal level. Various sperm disorders are identified in this regard. If males are not able to produce sperms or if sperms are not matured enough, then the infertility of males is the most common result. There are situations where sperms are produced by males, but still, they are unable to become fertile because the sperms produced by the testicles are not mature or sperms are too low in numbers. In other cases, males are not able to make sperms, and the complete absence of sperms automatically means the infertility of males (stanfordhealthcare.org, 2019). It is important for males to understand these facts so that they are well aware of the factors linked with infertility. For instance, if a male knows well that smoking and obesity can play its part in infertility, then he may stop smoking, and start working hard to get healthy and smart. A person having less associated issues in his body will less likely be infertile, but if the majority of symptoms are shown, and then it is impossible to avoid infertility (Laan, 2019)

     The Testicular causes are associated with Testicular deficiencies. The Testicular deficiency is also a given another name, which is pronounced as nonobstructive azoospermia. It is actually the failure of spermatogenic, which happens due to reasons such as HPG dysfunction or obstruction. The dysfunction of such kind can be segregated into more categories such as idiopathic, acquired, congenital testicular failure. The genetic abnormalities, cryptorchidism, testicular dysgenesis, and anorchia can be manifested by the congenital failure. It is essential to look at these issues one by one like acquired failure is said to be relevant with exogenous factors, orchitis, testicular torsion, as well as trauma (Friedman & Dull, 2012)The males have to be aware of these conditions so that they know about their issues, and if their issue is curable or not. The males have to keep an eye on important symptoms, and one major symptom is that the couple is not able to conceive even after so many intercourses for several months. It is a fact that male infertility can put men in stress and frustration (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018).

Post-testicular Causes of Prevalence of Male Infertility

    The other major concept associated with male infertility is Post-testicular Causes. It is vital to understand how this condition is different from the other two conditions, which have been discussed earlier. In this case, healthy sperm are produced by the male, but this healthy sperm is not able to travel and reach the penis tip so that it can be released in the vagina to start the process of conception in the woman. It happens because a male is not able to do proper ejaculation due to various reasons. There is a relevant condition for the post-testicular issue, which is called Aspermia. In this condition, a male is not able to ejaculate because his reproductive system is failed to do so. There is one more relevant function named as erectile dysfunction, which means that the penis is not able to remain erect for a regular and longer period. The males also face this issue because there are blockages in ejaculatory ducts or epididymis (Lipshultz, 2015). It is important to mention here that post-testicular deficiency is also named as obstructive azoospermia, and it is less common in males as compared to non-obstructive azoospermia. It is important to realize that anyone can get into the issue of infertility like both men and women, but it is critical to understand symptoms and causes so that such an issue can be avoided in the first place. If male infertility has been identified then there can be various treatment methods, but they may not work in all conditions (Selvam & Agarwal, 2018).

Conclusion of Prevalence of Male Infertility

The objective of the present work is to analyze the issues faced by males in the society. The male infertility is analyzed in the present report. The reasons indicated in report are insufficient LH secretion and GnRH, an issue is caused which is called hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), hormonal abnormalities, hypothalamic tumors, genetic disorders, hemochromatosis, pituitary, and congenital GnRH deficiency.  Different testicular causes are also considered such as smoking, obesity, and testicular deficiencies. Post testicular causes are also considered in the report for instance Aspermia, erectile dysfunction, non-obstructive azoospermia, and obstructive azoospermia.

 References of Prevalence of Male Infertility

Agarwal, A., Mulgund, A., Hamada, A. & Chyatte, M. R., 2015. A unique view on male infertility around the globe. Reprod Biol Endocrinol, 13(37).

Barratt, C. L. R. et al., 2017. The diagnosis of male infertility: an analysis of the evidence to support the development of global WHO guidance—challenges and future research opportunities. Human Reproduction, 23(6), p. 660–680.

Dimitriadis, F. et al., 2017. Pre-Testicular, Testicular, and Post-Testicular Causes of Male Infertility. Endocrinology of the Testis and Male Reproduction, pp. 1-47.

Friedman, S. K. & Dull, R. B., 2012. Male Infertility: An Overview of the Causes and Treatments. US Pharmacist, 37(6), pp. 39-42.

Irvine, D. S., 1998. Epidemiology and aetiology of male infertility. Human Reproduction, 13(1).

Laan, M., 2019. Systematic review of the monogenetic causes of male infertility: the first step towards diagnostic gene panels in the andrology clinic. human reproduction, 34(5), p. 783–785.

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Meier, K., 2018. Male Infertility. [Online]
Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/436829-overview
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Oberlin, D., 2019. THE PATIENT'S GUIDE TO INFERTILITY. [Online]
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Oud, M. S. et al., 2019. A systematic review and standardized clinical validity assessment of male infertility genes. human reproduction, 34(5), p. 932–941.

Rowe, P. J., Comhaire, F. H., Hargreave, T. B. & Mellows, H. J., 1993. WHO Manual for the Standardized Investigation and Diagnosis of the Infertile Couple. s.l.:Cambridge University Press.

Selvam, M. K. P. & Agarwal, A., 2018. Update on the proteomics of male infertility: A systematic review. Arab Journal of Urology, 16(1), pp. 103-112.

Stanford Health Care, 2019. Male Infertility. [Online]
Available at: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/mens-health/male-infertility.html
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stanfordhealthcare.org, 2019. Testicular Causes for Male Infertility. [Online]
Available at: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/mens-health/male-infertility/causes/testicular.html
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Wong, T., Straus, F., Jones, T. & Warner, N., 1978. Pathological aspects of the infertile testis. Urol Clin North Am., 5(3), pp. 503-530.