Infertility and low sperm count

Research had shown that one in five couples face infertility. There are two segments to talk about the infertility issue. The first one would be with women with several categories that affect their ability of being pregnant. Another one has to do with men and their sperm-related issues.

In men, one of the sperm problems can be due to low sperm count where it will impair the process of conception. A sperm count of less than 15 million/ml is termed as a low sperm count by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Another term to define low sperm count is oligozoospermia. Absolute absence of sperms is termed azoospermia.

Some of the men can have a total of 15 million sperm count per ml but still have a bad quality of sperms because too few of them are motile. There are a few causes of low sperm count and men may need to undergo a few tests to identify the cause of the low sperm count. Some of it may be due to a low production of the male sexual hormone testosterone where the man may present with a low libido, excessive tiredness or fatigue. Some of the causes could be due to congenital problems like improperly descended testes and chromosomal disorders. Infections of the testes or the adjoining ducts can also cause decreased sperm production or blocks preventing the transportation of the sperm outside.



Varicoceles (enlarged varicose veins that occur in the scrotum) can lead to increase testicular temperature which can lead to low sperm count. Some of the men ejaculate the sperm into the urine and may have a low sperm count. Hormone imbalance, tumours, toxic chemicals and use of laptops on the thighs, smoking, poor lifestyle habits have been associated with low sperm count.

In conclusion, it is rare for men to undergo testicular surgery for sperm retrieval. But it is said that vitamins may aid an increase in sperm count. Healthy life style measures, adequate diet and exercise may aid to improve the sperm quality.

 

Male Pattern Baldness

Male-pattern baldness is common nowadays. Statistics had shown that 85% of men will experience significant hair thinning by the time they hit 50 while some had begun to lose their hair as young as in their 20s.

Male-pattern baldness happen when the initially the hairline recedes, followed by thinning of the hair on temples and crown. Gradually, these two areas meet in the middle, leaving a horseshoe pattern of hair on the sides or back of the head. Eventually, this leads to complete baldness.

Hair loss can be caused by factors ranging from stress and hormones to scalp infection, some of the male pattern baldness is the result of hereditary condition. Hence, it is advisable for them to seek dermatologist as the dermatologist may base on family history, the rate and pattern of hair loss with co-existing medical condition to make the diagnosis. Some of the dermatologist may also conduct blood test and hair sampling. With all the information, the dermatologist will be able to determine the effective treatment that helps promote hair growth while delaying hair loss.

There is some medically-prescribed hair loss treatment which is as follows:-

Minoxidil is a lotion which can be rubbed into the scalp daily to halt further hair loss while stimulating hair growth. The effects are usually visible after 12 weeks of application.



Finasteride is a medication that blocks certain hormonal activities which trigger hair loss. Finasteride, available in tablet form, has proven to promote hair growth within 3 – 6 months of usage. If the treatment ceased, the balding process will resume.



Hair transplant involves removing tiny plugs of hair from the back or side of the scalp and implanting them into bald patches. Normally, this require more than one session as hereditary baldness progresses with time.

Men with small, well-defined bald spots are best suited with scalp reduction treatment. This involves surgically removing patches of bald skin, followed by sealing the space with hair-covered scalp.


Some of the men may need flap surgery. Flap surgery uses tiny balloons to implant under hair-dense areas of the scalp before being gradually inflated which will cause the scalp patches to expand. Once the patches have grown sufficiently large, they will be folded over bald skin spots to hide hair loss.

The above treatments may be effective in one way or another, the importance of a well-diet is required. Minerals such as iron, copper and zinc, vitamins B and E are essential for healthy hair and skin.



In conclusion, it’s understandable that men want the hair to re-grow as quickly as possible, it is crucial to be patient as results are more visible only after several months of treatment. Many men had the fear of losing their hair as the hair has always been associated with virility and youth. However, hair doesn’t determine a man’s masculinity and attractiveness. Some celebrities like Patrick Stewart and Bruce Willis are perfect examples of bald men whom millions of women find them attractive. So, men had to go easy with his hair and be proud of who he is.

Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)

Some of the men find it embarrassing to admit that they had Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and they thought that STD is like Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes or gonorrhoea.  

It’s true that sexually active person is more at risk for STD and it’s important that one should get treated should they develop an infection.  Some of the common symptoms of STD include:-

• ·         Warts, blisters or sores at genital area
• ·         Abnormal discharge from penis
• ·         Pain or burning sensation when urinating
• ·         Genital itching
• ·         Genital soreness

Though some of the STDs had no symptoms, it’s wise to go for screening if you found out that your partner had STD.

To stay away from STD, one should have healthy sexual habits by avoiding multiple sex partners.  The fewer the sexual partners, the lower the chances of getting infected.  Another way is to use a fresh condom each and every time when having sex.  One needs to pay attention to storage instructions and an expiration date to ensure that the quality of condoms are compromised.  If you are using latex condoms, get a water-based lubricants as oil-based lubricants can cause them to break.

In conclusion, one should observe your sexual lifestyle as this will put one at risk of developing STD.  It is important to seek medical treatment if diagnosed with STD.  If left untreated, it may lead to long-term and extensive damage to one’s health.  

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Testosterone

Most of the people know that women had menopause when they reached certain age.  How about men?  Do you know that men also had menopause?  Yes.  Men had menopause and the term for male menopause is andropause.  Andropause is a condition in men where their hormone, called Testosterone, decline with age.

Testosterone is a hormone where it has been associated with manliness in male.  This hormone is produced mainly in testicles and is responsible for various bodily functions namely:-
• Sharpening brain function
• Maintaining fat distribution and bone density
• Improving muscle mass and strength
• Increasing energy
• Boosting sexual drive and sperm production

Testosterone is highest during young age and adulthood but as one aged, it gradually decreases.  However, there are some cases where it is due to hypogonadism, a condition whereby the body is unable to produce sufficient amount of testosterone due to pituitary gland or testicles complications.

Testosterone deficiency will lead to some changes to your male body functions in several ways.  A decrease in the hormone will affect men sexual function as there is a decline in libido, erection frequency and fertility.  Men will experience mood change, low esteem and memory difficulties.

Men with low testosterone may suffer from sleep disturbance like insomnia.  Their muscle mass will also decrease and reduced bone density.  Men will also suffer from hair loss because of low level of hormone in their body.

Although it had not been proven to be a direct factor, a low testosterone will lead to health  conditions like diabetes and heart disease.  Low testosterone will cause blood sugar level to evaluate as the body tissues absorb more sugar from the blood, hence resulting in diabetes.  A low testosterone will also cause fat to accumulate in the arteries to form plaque.  When plaque hardens, it will disrupt the blood flow in the body which will eventually lead to heart attack.

A number of tests will be performed to confirm on the level of men’s male hormone.  A blood test is the most common one to check the level of the hormone.  Blood pressure, heart rate and other tests involving checking of bone density, hormonal glands will also be conducted.

Your doctor may suggest testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) when there is symptom in testosterone deficiency.  TRT comes in several forms like patches in form of mouth and transdermal.  For mouth patches, it can be stuck onto the upper gums to release testosterone into the blood through oral tissues.  As for transdermal patch, men can wear it once a day on upper body or arm.



There are testosterone gels that directly absorb through skin and they are available in pumps or packets.  Testosterone shots can also be administered directly into muscle or implanted as pellets into tissue.  It will then slowly enter into your bloodstream.

There are potential risks on TRT which can include sleep disorders, acne, limited sperm production and abnormal prostate growth.  Hence, men would need to check with doctor if they would want to proceed with TRT.

Apart from taking the medical approaches, lifestyle changes are important.  Taking a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, limiting your daily alcohol intake to 1 – 2 glass and having sufficient rest help.  These activities may not dramatically increase the testosterone level but definitely, it will help to relieve your symptoms and ensure better wellbeing.

Male Urinary Incontinence

Male urinary incontinence, is the loss of urinary control or involuntary leakage of urine in men.  In United States, there are a small percentage of males, are affected by urinary incontinence.  Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing and distressing.  However, with proper management, it can be controlled.

There are different types of urinary incontinence, namely:-

Stress Incontinence refers to the leakage of urine when the pressure of the abdomen on the bladder becomes too great for the bladder outlet to withstand.  This causes urine leakage when one sneezes, coughs, exercise or laughs.  This is more common in women whose pelvic muscles are weakened after childbirth.  In men, this can occur after prostate surgery.

Urge incontinence refers to the leakage of urine due to an overactive bladder.  The muscle contracts too early and normal control is reduced.  The patient would normally have an urgent need to go to the bathroom but the urine leaks out before reaching there.

Overflow incontinence refers to the leakage of urine due to a persistent obstruction to the outflow of urine.  The patient is not able to empty his bladder adequately, resulting in the leakage of urine whenever the bladder is full.  The common cause of this is because of enlarged prostate.

Functional incontinence will occur if the patient suffers from dementia where it can prevent the patient from getting to the bathroom in time to pass urine.

The typical symptoms of male urinary incontinence include a sudden urge to urinate, urinating frequently and waking up frequently throughout the night to urinate. 

One’s daily habit like drinking, the underlying medical condition like urinary tract infection, bladder cancer or physical problem like prostate conditions can cause male urinary incontinence.  Neurological conditions like stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson disease and multiple sclerosis can affect the nerves involved in bladder control.  Old age can also lead to a decrease in the bladder’s ability to store urine and an increase in overactive bladder symptoms

A doctor will normally do a physical examination like checking for prostate enlargement or nerve injury.  Sometimes, the doctor would order for a urinalysis to rule out infection and haematuria, abdominal ultrasound imaging to detect bladder cancer or stones or urodynamic testing to evaluate the bladder’s activity to store and empty urine effectively.

After the above test had been done and evaluated, the doctor will determine the treatment.  The treatment can be behavioural therapy like limiting the intake of fluids or doing the kegel exercises to strength the pelvic floor muscles, medications to shrink the prostate size and improving bladder emptying or surgery like male sling procedure that help men with weak sphincter muscles.

In conclusion, male urinary incontinence can be managed with lifestyle modifications.  One can reduce the fluid intake to decrease urine and avoid caffeine and carbonated-drinks as these are bladder stimulants.  

Erectile Dysfunction

Almost all the men knew and aware what’s Erectile Dysfunction (ED), however, they had chosen not to talk about it as they are seeing it as a taboo topic.

So what’s ED?  ED is simply defined as a lack of rigidity o the penis, resulting in sexual dysfunction.  In other words, men will not find satisfactory penetrative intercourse if he is diagnosed as ED.

One of the contributing factors to ED includes stress, lack of sleep and tiredness from dealing with the rat race.  The next contributing factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar level.

In the early stages of ED, individual will need nothing more than a lifestyle change to promote a better health.  However, medication, like tadalafil, is required to be prescribed for treatment of ED.  It was said that the medication is very effective and most of the men respond well to this treatment.  With this medication treatment, men can build back their confidence level.

When taking this medication, the patient is advised not to mix it with alcohol or fatty food.  And the medication must also be timed correctly in order to get a good erection.

It’s easier to deal with ED if the patient’s partner plays a role in the treatment.  The partner would need to know that they should not be concerned on the sex but the health and issues they are unaware of behind the dysfunction.  To increase the efficiency of the treatment, the partner can help to ensure that the treatment is strictly adhered to.

In conclusion, men need to be open about his ED condition and involve his partner in the treatment.  It can be challenging if the men choose not to involve his partner in the treatment.  A lack of openness will cause friction and misunderstanding between couples and most men end up with broken marriages because of this.

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

From the previous articles, you should know what’s prostate gland.  Although it’s the size of a walnut, it could have increased to the size of an apricot.  And by an older age, it might have grown to be as large as a lemon.

This growth is known as Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH).  It poses some complications that can affect your quality of life.  As the size increase and if one did not seek treatment on it, it will eventually squeezed and narrow the urethra and lead to urinary problems.  If the conditions worsen, it might result in bladder or kidney complication. 

There is medication to improve the situation but if the case is serious, surgery is required to improve urine flow by removing any prostate tissue that is affecting the uretharal passage.

BPH is a common disorder in males over 50 years.  About 50% of males over the age of 60 had some sort of prostate disorder.  The major symptoms of BPH are as follows:-

• Increased frequency in urination
• Dysuria and weak urine stream
• Enuresis and intermittent urine flow
• Feel urge to urinate even after urinating
•  Increased frequency in nocturnal urination
• Sensation of inability to drain the bladder completely

There are 3 stages of BPH:-

Stage 1: This is known as the simulation stage.  The main symptoms include frequent nocturnal urination, posterior urethral perineal discomort, longer urination time and narrowing of urine stream.  The residual urine olume is usually less than 50ml and the urine flow chart shows a normal curve.

Stage 2: This is known as the residual urine occurrence stage.  There is increased severity in the symptoms mentioned above.  In addition, urination flow now requires one to exert force on the stomach.  The residual urine volume is 50 and 150ml accompanied by residual urine.  There may be sudden acute urinary retention or infection.  The urine flow chart shows multiple wave curves.

Stage 3: It’s known as decompensated bladder or bladder distension and urine retention stage.  The residual urine volume exceeds 150ml, accompanied by urine retention, overflow incontinence or kidney dysfunction.  The urine flow chart shows a low plateau curve.

A good prostate health does not end with regular screening.  Other helpful steps including eating a diet low in fat, but high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and drinking alcohol in moderation.