What are The Lifestyle Options That Cause Male Infertility?

2020-05-04 / RG STONE HOSPITAL / Indian Health Care System

There are a lot of couples who keep trying to conceive a child as they plan to start a family. While many of them feel excited and eager to start their family but when the results are not yielded, it leads to psychological distress. There is a dream that many couples have where they wish to be parents and when this does not happen, then the dream of having family crumbles down.

One of the main reasons for efforts failing to conceive is the lifestyle habits of men. This is not to say that only men are at fault but to look at the issue of male infertility, the focus is more towards the male-related issues though these issues could happen with females as well. There are a lot of men who are not leading life in a healthy manner that affect the reproductive system and hence unable to conceive with their partner.

Below are some of the reasons that lead to male infertility. Male infertility could be sometimes majorly due to lifestyle choices and thus these lifestyle habits need to be taken care of. Some of the lifestyle practices that lead to male infertility are :

• Drug Use -  Consuming too many steroid drugs for muscular strength can make the testicles shrink and further leads to a decrease in sperm production. If any man consumes cocaine or marijuana then it can reduce the number of sperms and even the quality of sperm also falls.
• Alcoholism - Drinking alcohol over limits can lower the testosterone levels which in turn can cause erectile dysfunction and further leads to a decrease in sperm production in a man. Liver disease caused by excessive drinking may also result in male infertility.
• Smoking Tobacco - Those men who smoke may have a lower sperm count than do those who do not smoke and may also affect the quality of sperms. 
• Emotional Stress - Men who tend to take too much of stress not only affects their mind but also affects their hormones that produce sperms. Overload of emotional stress can interfere with sperm production and hence affect the sperm count.
• Depression - If a man is going through depression then the man is less interested to conceive with his partner. The situation can sometimes become worse if the man is going through a severe depression. Ultimately depression in men leads to sexual dysfunction due to reduced libido, that means, lesser interest in sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction, or delayed or inhibited ejaculation.
• Weight - Overweight or Obesity can affect male fertility in several ways, such that it directly impacts sperm production. Along with this, a lot of hormonal changes take place that leads to reduced male fertility.

It should be noted that if any man has male infertility problems, then they need not be shameful about it. There is always a solution for every problem and since most of the lifestyle problems can be dealt with in due time, no man should ever feel low or have underconfidence if they know they are having male infertility problems. A couple should always visit a doctor whenever there is any fertility issue without any feeling of stigma or ego by any partner.

Hence, it is important on the part of men to be cautious when it comes to leading life with the right practices. There may be many cases where it is sometimes difficult to let go of the habits wherein such cases, external support is advisable. Parenting is a crucial decision in one’s life and for that, both the partners should be ready and healthy to be able to conceive well and have a healthy baby in future.

BY RG Stone Urology & Laparoscopy Hospital