Male infertility can have many causes. Hormonal imbalances, physical, psychological and/or behavioral problems, all can lead to infertility. Moreover, fertility reflects a man’s “overall” health. Men who live a healthy lifestyle are more likely to produce healthy sperm.
Common lifestyle choices that negatively impact male fertility are:
- Smoking;
- Prolonged usage of marijuana and other recreational drugs;
- Chronic alcohol abuse;
- Anabolic steroid usage;
- Overly intense exercise;
- Insufficient consumption of vitamin C and Zinc;
- Exposure to environmental hazards, toxins, and heavy metals;
- Malnutrition;
- Excessive stress.
Modifying these behaviors can improve male fertility and should be considered when trying to achieve pregnancy.
Other Causes
A small percentage of male infertility is caused by hormonal problems such as hypothyroidism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Besides that, a variety of physical problems can cause male infertility. These problems either interfere with the sperm production process or disrupt the pathway down which sperm travel from the testes to the tip of the penis. These problems are usually characterized by a low sperm count and/or abnormal sperm morphology. Some of the physical issues can be caused by infection and disease, such as gonorrhea, typhoid or syphilis.