As the saying goes, good seedlings can be planted, and good trees can bear good peaches. Breeding new life is like planting crops. To produce good seedlings, not only good “soil” but also good “seeds” are needed. Men play an important role in fertility. Nowadays, due to factors such as high work pressure and unhealthy lifestyles, more and more men are infertile.
FAQs for everyone to solve their doubts.
Q
What is the current incidence of infertility in my country? What is the proportion of male factors?
A
Male infertility means that couples of childbearing age have normal sexual life and have not taken contraceptive measures. Due to the man’s factors, the woman cannot conceive naturally within a year. Male infertility is divided into primary infertility and secondary infertility. Primary infertility refers to men who have never conceived women, and secondary infertility refers to men who have conceived women. The incidence of infertility in my country continues to rise. In 1995, the infertility rate was only about 3%; from 2012 to 2018, the infertility rate rose to 10% to 15%, and the number of patients affected exceeded 30 million. It is expected that this ratio will increase in a short period of time in the future. In general, the incidence of infertility is about 15%, and male and female factors account for half.
Q
Is there an optimal age for men to have children?
A
From a genetic point of view, 30 to 35 years old is the best age for men to bear children. This is because the quality of male sperm reaches its peak at the age of 30. This high quality can last for 5 years until the age of 35; but after the age of 35, the male hormones in the body begin to attenuate, and the sperm gene mutation rate increases accordingly. The quantity and quality will also decrease. Such abnormal sperm is very detrimental to the health of the fetus.
Q
What are the causes of male infertility in daily life?
A
Common factors affecting male fertility in daily life include the following aspects.
Bad lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, wearing tights, and taking sauna baths have a clear negative impact on fertility; sedentary sitting and lack of exercise can also affect fertility.
Environmental Environmental factors are important reasons for declining male fertility.
Long-term exposure to toxic decorative materials and paints, cigarette smoke, carbon dioxide, dibromochloropropane, methyl ethyl ketone, formaldehyde, household gas, car exhaust, and electromagnetic waves (such as radar, mobile transmitter base stations), radiation radiation, And working in a high temperature environment can reduce fertility.
Fast-increasing animal feed, various plastic utensils, chemical diluents, polychlorinated biphenyls, bisphenol A, alkylphenols, phthalates, and more than 70 endocrine disrupting sources, produce estrogen-like substances in the environment Hormonal components, after entering the male body, can interfere with the endocrine system and affect fertility.
In addition, exposure to heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, and manganese or chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides can also affect fertility.
Drug chemotherapy drugs, hormone drugs, diuretics, drugs for the treatment of peptic ulcers, anti-hypertensive calcium antagonists, can affect the number and vitality of sperm. Those who use the above drugs should try their best to find alternative drugs that do not affect spermatogenesis. If they must be used, they can consider cryopreserving semen before treatment.
Q
What examinations should men do before pregnancy?
A
If a male undergoes a prenatal checkup after marriage, it is recommended to go to a professional male clinic. The necessary examinations include: 1. Physical examination. The doctor initially judges the development of the penis, testis, epididymis, vas deferens and other reproductive organs through examination. 2. Male sex hormone examination. Check items include testosterone, prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone, etc. 3. Semen analysis. The result of semen analysis can only judge the possibility of childbirth, which is highly volatile and will be affected by physical conditions and various external environments.
Q
What should be paid attention to before the semen examination?
A
The precautions before the semen examination are particularly important. One is the requirement for abstinence time before semen specimen collection: abstinence should be at least 48 hours before semen specimen collection, but no more than 7 days. The second is the method of collecting semen specimens: masturbation is the recommended method of semen collection. Wash your hands and penis before taking the semen, and inject all the semen into the container through masturbation. No lubricating oil or saliva should be used during the semen collection. Do not contaminate semen specimens with urine, water, soap, etc.
Q
How to treat male infertility?
A
For infertile patients, we should first carry out targeted reproductive health education based on living habits and working environment, and then according to the specific conditions of the patient and their spouses, it is recommended to choose drug treatment, surgical treatment or assisted reproductive technology.
Drug therapy is widely used clinically, with little trauma, low cost, and easy acceptance by patients. Drug treatment should cover at least 3 to 6 months, and the indications and efficacy of drug treatment should be further evaluated. Drug treatment includes: antioxidant treatment, treatment to improve cell energy metabolism and treatment to improve the microcirculation of the whole body and reproductive system (testis, epididymis, etc.), and endocrine drugs and immunosuppressive treatments should be given according to the cause of male infertility. In addition, there are surgical treatments, mainly microsurgery, including microscopic testicular incision and sperm extraction, vas deferens epididymis anastomosis, vas deferens anastomosis, spermatic vein ligation, etc.
Q
What can men do to improve fertility?
A
To improve fertility, men can start daily from the following aspects.
Exercise
Normally, you should pay attention to exercise. This will not only improve your physical fitness and immunity, but also improve your testosterone level, improve fatigue, poor mental state and a series of symptoms.
Develop good living habits
It is best to quit smoking and drinking. There are thousands of toxic substances in tobacco. Smoking not only endangers one’s health, but also causes the wife to abort and stop childbirth. Regarding drinking, the main component of alcohol is ethanol. Ethanol and ethanol metabolites in alcohol will affect the human hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and gonadal functions, as well as the spermatogenic ability of the testes. Long-term excessive drinking will affect the quality of embryos and cause birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities in the offspring. Therefore, men who are preparing for pregnancy try not to drink alcohol. In addition, pay attention to maintaining good work and rest habits and try not to stay up late.
Reasonable diet
To improve sperm quality, a healthy diet is also very important. During pregnancy, it is recommended to consume more foods that are conducive to sperm production, such as foods containing more zinc and selenium, and more high-quality protein.
