Male Infertility

Male infertility is on the rise in society. Approximately 15% of married couples have trouble conceiving despite having regular unprotected sex for more than a year. Out of the couples who are in their thirties, only 30% are able to conceive within the first three months; the rest have trouble due to male infertility issues.

Causes of Male Infertility

Infertility is a reproductive system disorder which results in the inability of a couple to procreate. The reasons for not being able to conceive can be varied and could be related to either partner. When the reproductive system of the male has a problem which makes it difficult for the couple to have a child, it is termed male infertility.

Sperm Production Problems

Erection and Ejaculation Problems

Blockage of Sperm Transport

Preventing Male Infertility

Male Infertility Research

Male Infertility Epidemiology

How is Male Infertility Diagnosed?

Fertility and Age

Low Sperm Count

Causes of a Low Sperm Count

Testing for a Low Sperm Count

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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

Latest Male Infertility News and Research

Novel testicular luminal protein is vital for male fertility

Newly produced spermatozoa within the testis are not fully functional until they mature in the epididymis, a duct that helps to transport and store sperm.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers discover novel gene involved in DNA damage repair and male fertility

A research group from the Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics at Kumamoto University, Japan has discovered that the gene C19ORF57 plays a critical role in meiosis.

4 Jun 2020

Novel FIMP protein may help orchestrate mammalian fertilization

Fertilization is a fundamental process in sexual reproduction when the combination of male and female gametes blends genetic material to create a new unique individual. Now, researchers from Japan have identified a new factor that may help orchestrate this vitally complex life event.

16 Apr 2020

Fracking chemical may interfere with reproductive hormones in men

A chemical used in hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, has the potential to interfere with reproductive hormones in men, according to research accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, and publication in a special supplemental section of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

31 Mar 2020

$Health concerns over fracking chemical that may cause adverse effects in male sex hormones$

Health concerns over fracking chemical that may cause adverse effects in male sex hormones

A study has found that fracking chemicals can interfere with male sex hormones and possibly cause adverse health effects.

31 Mar 2020

Key protein in sperm production could aid male infertility treatments

Researchers have discovered that a key protein drives sperm production, knowledge that may help infertile couples conceive.

26 Mar 2020

Targeting critical enzyme for sperm formation could help address male infertility

While some of our body's cells divide in a matter of hours, the process of making sperm, meiosis, alone takes about 14 days from start to finish. And fully six of those days are spent in the stage known as the pachytene, when pairs of chromosomes from an individual's mother and father align and connect.

25 Mar 2020

Cancer could potentially be treated with new immunotherapy approach, say researchers

Researchers have made a discovery about EGR4 that could instigate a new immunotherapy approach to treating cancer.

25 Mar 2020

Study: Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility

Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility, according to a new study supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Feb 2020

Study: Most men choosing surgery for prostate cancer do not regret their decisions

Men with localized prostate cancer are faced with deciding among a range of options for treatment - including a choice between robot-assisted versus conventional prostatectomy.

10 Feb 2020

Robotic search for drugs that block sperm motility

The hunt for the first male contraceptive pill is on, and scientists at Dundee University may have the needed tool to find it – a robotic screening system.

29 Jan 2020

Low-fat diet associated with reduction in testosterone among men

For the many men diagnosed with testosterone deficiency, losing weight can help increase testosterone levels.

11 Jan 2020

Study sheds new light on impact of common plasticizer on human reproductive health

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the New York State Department of Health have discovered how a common plasticizer associated with human reproductive abnormalities likely does its damage at the molecular level.

10 Jan 2020

Cystic fibrosis carriers have higher risk for all CF-related conditions

Conventional wisdom says that having just one mutated copy of the cystic fibrosis gene has no effects on a person's health--the disease occurs when both copies of the gene are mutated. But a new study from the University of Iowa suggests that may not be the case.

8 Jan 2020

New study finds zinc and folic acid supplements are ineffective at improving male fertility

A study has revealed that taking zinc and folic acid supplements do not improve male fertility as has previously been suspected.

8 Jan 2020

Zinc and folic acid supplements fail to improve fertility in men

Zinc and folic acid, a pair of dietary supplements long touted as an effective treatment for male infertility, failed to improve pregnancy rates, sperm counts, and sperm potency in a new study conducted at University of Utah Health and other medical centers in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health.

7 Jan 2020

Penn researchers track defective sperm epigenome linked to male infertility

One out of eight couples has trouble conceiving, with nearly a quarter of those cases caused by unexplained male infertility. For the past decade, research has linked that infertility to defective sperm that fail to "evict" proteins called histones from DNA during development.

16 Dec 2019

Important discovery about male infertility could lead to new treatments

Using a new mouse model, Penn Medicine researchers have identified defects in the sperm epigenome that cause male infertility.

16 Dec 2019

Why some sperm swim in circles – it’s a protein defect

A new study published in the journal PNAS shows that some sperm cannot swim straight because they lack a protein called VSP. This motility defect seriously impacts the rates of successful fertilization. In addition, VSP is also found to regulate the amount of calcium that enters the flagellum, the whiplike organelle that propels the sperm towards the waiting ovum or egg. This important discovery may help treat infertility more effectively.

3 Dec 2019

Researchers discover genes linked to sex ratio and male fertility in mice

One of the more recent trends among parents-to-be is the so-called gender reveal, a party complete with pink or blue cake to answer the burning question, "Is it a boy or girl?" After all, it's presumed that there's a 50-50 chance you'd have one or the other.

18 Oct 2019