Most Common Causes of Male Infertility

Male infertility is a serious issue and increasing due to several reasons. Infertility refers as failure to achieve pregnancy after regular unprotected sex for at least a year. Male infertility is a serious concern as it accounts for approximately 40 percent of all infertility cases in couples. Traditionally in India, when a couple does not have a child or is not able to conceive, it is always women who are blamed – not any longer. Due to advancements in technology, affordable in-home sperm check test are available today. These make it simple to check your sperm count in the privacy of your home. As more than 90% of male infertility cases are due to low sperm count, it is a both a sensitive and primary issue of male infertility.

Causes of Male infertility

There are numerous causes of male infertility that vary from hormonal imbalance to physiological to lifestyle to psychological problems.

Low sperm count – this is one of the leading causes of male infertility. Low sperm count means that the fluid which you ejaculate contains less sperm than normal. Total number of sperm in the entire ejaculate which is called total sperm count should be 40 million per ejaculate as per the guidelines of World Health Organization (WHO). If sperm count is less than 40 million per ejaculate than it is referred as "low sperm count". However, it is very easy to check your sperm count through Sperm count test. Sperm check test is a very simple test which can be performed at any time in the privacy of your home.

Sperm motility: Motility is one the most significant characteristics of a sperm. Motility means the ability of sperms to move in a straight forward direction to fertilize an egg. As per the guidelines of the World Health Organization sperm motility is normal if 50% of the sperm are moving in a rapid forward direction. Thus, sperm motility refers to the strength and endurance of the sperm cell. However, low sperm motility is also one of the major reasons of male infertility. There are four types of sperm motility.



Grade "A" motility sperm are those which can swim forward fast in a straight line.
Grade "B" motility sperm are those which can swim forward but in a slow curved line.
Grade "C" motility sperms are also called non progressive sperm as they move their tails but do not move.
Grade "D" motility sperm are also called immobile sperm as they do not move at all.
Sperm Morphology: Sperm morphology means the size and shape of a sperm. As per WHO, for a normal sample at least 4% of the sperm should be in normal shape and size. A normal sperm has an oval head and a long tail. A normal sperm also has a cap which covers forty to seventy percent of the head. Poor sperm morphology could be a temporary issue and sometimes can improve on its own. However, Semen analysis is the best way to check sperm morphology.