I hope I find you in good health. Infertility is the inability to conceive after at least one year of unprotected intercourse. While 85% of couples are able to conceive after one year of protected intercourse, approximately 15% of couples are unable to do it without some form of assistance or therapy. These people have primary infertility. In about one-third of these couples, the male factor appears to be responsible, and in an additional 20% both a male and a female factor can be identified. Therefore, a male factor is at least partly responsible for difficulties in conception in roughly 50% of these couples contrary to some entrenched public perceptions.

In men, hormone disorders, illness, reproductive anatomy trauma and obstruction, and sexual dysfunction can temporarily or permanently affect sperm and prevent conception. Some disorders become more difficult to treat the longer they persist without treatment.
There are many causes of male infertility, some occurring more commonly than others. I will touch on the common ones in no particular order.
Sperm disorders such as problems with the production and maturation of sperm are the most common causes of male infertility. Sperm may be immature, abnormally shaped, or unable to move properly. Sometimes normal sperm may be produced in abnormally low numbers (oligospermia) or not at all (azoospermia). This problem may be caused by many different conditions including the following: infectious diseases or inflammatory conditions such as the mumps virus, endocrine or hormonal disorders, immunological disorders in which some men produce antibodies to their own sperm, environmental and lifestyle factors, genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis- an inherited condition that typically involves the lungs and pancreas, but can present also as a cause of infertility, hemachromatosis - an inherited condition affecting iron storage, eighty percent of men with hemochromatosis have testicular dysfunction, Sickle cell disease - an inherited condition affecting the normal production of hemoglobin.
The vas deferens ( a tube) that carries sperm from the testicles to the penis can be blocked for a variety of reasons including prior vasectomy, injury, infection or physical anomaly. This blockage makes it impossible for sperm to move from the testis to the penis making you infertile.

Infections may also cause sterility or low sperm counts in men. These can be recent infections or from childhood. They may alter the liquidity of semen and sperm motility, although these are likely to be temporary effects. Among the infections most implicated in infertility are sexually transmitted diseases like repeated Chlamydia trachomatis or gonorrhea infections. Such infections can cause scarring and block sperm passage. Human papillomaviruses, the cause of genital warts, may also impair sperm function. Mycoplasma is an infectious organism that appears to fasten itself to sperm cells and render them less motile. Mumps can also cause infertility. If it develops after puberty, it damages the testicles in 25% of men afflicted with it.
Retrograde ejaculation occurs when impairment of the muscles or nerves in the bladder neck prohibit it from closing during ejaculation, forcing sperm to flow backward into the bladder instead of forward out of the urethra. It may result from surgery to the bladder neck (the lower part of the bladder) or prostate, a congenital defect in the urethra or bladder, or a disease that affects the nervous system such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. Sometimes this can be a result of a temporary side effect of certain drugs, such as tranquilizers or hypertension medications. Diminished or "dry" ejaculation and cloudy urine (urine mixed with sperm) after ejaculation are signs of this condition and should these occur to you should see your doctor.
Major physical or mental stress can temporarily reduce sperm count. Some common conditions that lower sperm count temporarily include the following: Emotional Stress which may interfere with some hormones and reduce sperm counts. Sexual issues like impotence, premature ejaculation, or psychological or relationship problems contribute to male infertility in 1% of the affected individuals, although these conditions are usually treatable.
Testicular overheating, such as from high fevers, saunas (yes, I've got friends who go to the gym just to sit in the sauna), and hot tubs, may temporarily lower sperm count. Substance abuse like Cocaine or heavy marijuana use appears to temporarily reduce the number and quality of sperm by as much as 50%. Sperm actually have receptors for certain compounds in marijuana that may impair the sperm's ability to swim and also inhibit their ability to penetrate the egg.
Smoking impairs sperm motility, reduces sperm lifespan, and may cause genetic changes that affect the offspring. One 2002 study found that men or women who smoke have lower success rates with assisted reproductive technologies. An earlier study reported that men who smoke also have lower sex drives and less frequent sex.
Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies, obesity and bicycling are all risk factors of infertility.
The causes of infertility mentioned above are by no means exhaustive. They are many more which could not be slotted in this short article but I hope the ones mentioned have been noted and should be avoided where possible to prevent infertility.

Till next week take care of yourself and each other. And remember, '…in all your getting, get understanding.'