For many medical professionals, the increasing rate of male infertility has become a major concern.
More men than ever are experiencing infertility, according to research, a trend that fertility expert Dr. Shanna Swan has dubbed a “global existential crisis.”
Swan issued a dire warning: “The present state of reproductive affairs couldn’t last much longer without endangering human survival.”
The US Population Reference Bureau’s 2021 Data Sheet indicates that fertility is declining in a number of countries, including those with low, middle, and high incomes.
The World Health Organization, WHO, also acknowledged the drop in sperm counts and quality, which prompted them to revise the standards for normal vs abnormal sperm counts to be applied by andrology laboratories globally.
A normal sperm count is between 15 and 20 million.
Unbelievably, 60% of cases of infertility are attributed to male fertility. However, diseases that impair male fertility are still frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated.
According to scientists, infertility affects a man’s ability to procreate in addition to raising his mortality risk.
A Stanford University study found that infertile men tend to pass away earlier than their infertile counterparts. Poor fertility has been associated to higher incidence of diabetes, heart disease, and malignancies. Men with sperm concentrations below 15 million per milliliter had a 50% greater likelihood of being hospitalized for any medical reason at all.
For male infertility, a number of causes and risk factors have been postulated, and in some cases, validated, and reported in the medical literature.
Some of these consist of
Dr. Ajayi Abayomi, the Medical Director of Nordica Fertility Clinic in Abuja, discussed the development with DAILY POST and offered additional information on male infertility.
Fertility expert Abayomi covered a wide range of topics, including IVF, risk factors, therapy, diagnosis, and worries regarding the decline in male sperm count.
Below is a transcription of his response:
Male infertility and declining sperm counts in Nigeria
“Well, I know about them, and I’d say they’re real. Sperm count has decreased by 50% over the past forty years, according to a study that looked at America and Europe roughly two years ago.
Additionally, we carried out research in the clinics we operate; they are located in Lagos, Abuja, and Asaba. The sperm characteristics of guys who were ten (10) years apart were examined.
Male infertility causes
There are numerous things to consider, but one that should not be overlooked is lifestyle. We are aware that sperm count and fat do not correlate. We are aware that many young guys today use heavy drugs for a variety of reasons. Some people take it recreationally, while others use it for weightlifting and as an aphrodisiac. Some people even use these steroids to develop six-pack abs. They can all have an impact on sperm count.
Another element is the environment by itself. Global warming is the topic at hand. Some claim that God placed the testicles outside to cool them off and to prevent some other things from possibly overheating the surroundings.
Infertility statistics for Nigeria
There is no data, but the Association of Fertility and Reproductive Health, or AFRH, is attempting to collect some. If you want accurate data, it must come from the community, not a hospital.
Remember that going to the clinic indicates that a person is already ill. It might not be an accurate reflection of what is going on in the neighborhood.
I am aware that some people have compiled statistics for the local area, such as the WHO’s claim that 1 in 6 couples experience general infertility. However, some recent calculations in Nigeria by some individuals do not support that. The most crucial factor isn’t how prevalent it is; we already know that it’s widespread, but what can we do to assist those who are
diagnosis of male infertility
The inability of a couple to conceive or deliver a living child after a year is known as infertility.
Additionally, we changed it so that it is now age-related. If the woman is under 35, we suggest six months, particularly if she is 37 or older.
So we refer to it as male infertility when the male is either the primary cause or a contributing factor. Or you could say that infertility is the inability of a man to conceive a child with his female companion.
Unfortunately, most cases of male infertility lack signs that would give the guy any indication that there is an issue because he is capable of doing practically anything.
The only test is seminal fluid analysis, and in this, we look at factors, including the volume of the sperm, the number of sperm, their mobility, their morphology, and the presence of white blood cells. The World Health Organization, or WHO, has set values for all of this so that we can determine whether or not the sperm count is normal.
treating infertility in men
Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection, or IMSSI, is the name of this process. In “morphologically selected,” as the term implies, we seek out the typically developed sperm to inject into the egg.
Additionally, you are aware that inventions are always the result of necessity. When we initially began conducting IMSSI, we noticed that even with this. We went “gaga,” believing that we had discovered the secret to eternal life, only to discover later that some of these patients who became pregnant still experienced a miscarriage since the sperm quality wasn’t very good.
Since the success of ICSI depends on both the quality of the sperm and the quality of the egg, we started looking for alternative ways to screen sperm. then you must have
Below is a transcription of his response:
Male infertility and declining sperm counts in Nigeria
“Well, I know about them, and I’d say they’re real. Sperm count has decreased by 50% over the past forty years, according to a study that looked at America and Europe roughly two years ago.
Additionally, we carried out research in the clinics we operate; they are located in Lagos, Abuja, and Asaba. The sperm characteristics of guys who were ten (10) years apart were examined.
Male infertility causes
There are numerous things to consider, but one that should not be overlooked is lifestyle. We are aware that sperm count and fat do not correlate. We are aware that many young guys today use heavy drugs for a variety of reasons. Some people take it recreationally, while others use it for weightlifting and as an aphrodisiac. Some people even use these steroids to develop six-pack abs. They can all have an impact on sperm count.
Another element is the environment by itself. Global warming is the topic at hand. Some claim that God placed the testicles outside to cool them off and to prevent some other things from possibly overheating the surroundings.
DNA fragmentation is the newest technique for treating male infertility. We all do this in Nigeria. We can observe that the sperm only contribute the DNA at the sperm head, which is exchanged with the DNA of the woman and the man during fertilization to create a new life.
We observed that an embryo may not be of the highest quality and be unable to develop into a baby if man’s DNA has been denatured or broken down more than usual. We have now developed a method to test the sperm to determine how much DNA denaturation has occurred; that would be a direct representation of how well the sperm can fertilize the egg.
Does male infertility have anything to do with genetics?
In our opinion, it does. Infertility is a genetic condition. If you were made in some manner or another, you cannot undo it. However, new techniques are emerging, such gene editing. But it seems like you also want to correct the sickle cell patient. That is probably where the gene editing would lead, but it is currently irreversible.
Nobody has infertility as a result of rhesus incompatibility. As a result of the baby dying, you can experience miscarriages. Only the infant is impacted by rhesus incompatibility.
There hasn’t been much research done on male infertility, and the results haven’t been great, but they are some of the areas we are focusing on right now and getting better outcomes.
Managing psychological and
Does a man’s diet impact the quality of his sperm?
It does, indeed. Because eating is a lifestyle choice, it has an impact on sperm quality.
In the end, we are what we consume. Therefore, there is no question that nutrition plays a role. Nutrition also affects overall health; if you consume foods that increase your risk of developing diabetes, diabetes further lowers your odds of becoming pregnant and even a man’s ability to impregnate a woman.
You must eat well and maintain good health if you want to remain fertile as a man. The guidelines remain the same: steer clear of processed carbohydrates, consume more plant-based protein, and abstain from alcohol and saturated fats. That’s why I mentioned lifestyle decisions—alcohol is not a food, after all. Alcohol.
How successful is IVF on average?
The success rate is individualized, which is one of the things we say about IVF, assisted reproduction, or even reproduction itself. Probably the most significant element is the woman’s age. The chances of the former would be better than the latter, for example, if two men have low sperm counts and the wives of one is 25 and the other is 38.
The man’s age will now be the second consideration. The woman’s age is the first consideration. The success rate must therefore be seen holistically and on an individual basis when it is discussed. The success percentage in the area is typically 35 to 40% if you are under 37.
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