illness

There are some infections that, if left untreated, can cause structural damage to a man’s reproductive system or prevent the healthy production of sperm. There are also some general health conditions and illnesses that may lead to infertility as a possible symptom or side effect. Since new sperm are continually produced in a process that takes about 72 days, in some cases the effect of illness or disease can be temporary, and sperm function can be restored over time.

Fertility in men can be affected by the following illnesses:

• cancer
• diseases
• epididymitis
• klinefelter's syndrome
• urinary tract infection (UTI)
• sexually transmitted diseases (STD)

cancer

The effects of cancer are far-reaching, impacting a man’s physical, psychological and spiritual well being. Although cancer can also cause problems with fertility, the medical community are making great efforts to preserve fertility in both men and women who have cancer and want to have children.

Cancer can hurt a man’s chances of conceiving by:

• Damaging and destroying the cells in the reproductive system by way of chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
• Making a man sterile as a side effect of many cancer-fighting drugs.
• Compromising a man's reproductive system if the removal of reproductive organs is required for treatment.

Healthcare providers and the medical community as a whole are increasingly aware of the concerns cancer patients often have about preserving fertility. Many cancer patients are now able to plan ahead by cryopreserving (freezing) multiple sperm samples prior to treatments.

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diseases

Infertility can be an unfortunate side effect of many health conditions or diseases, including diabetes, cystic fibrosis and mumps. Any illness that causes an extended period of high fever can reduce sperm production.

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epididymitis

The epididymis is the tube on the back surface of a testicle which stores sperm and gives them time to mature. If it gets infected or inflamed, movement of the sperm from the testes to the vas deferens can be impaired, thereby trapping the sperm in the testes.

Epididymitis can cause the testicles to swell during infection, and can be quite painful. In most cases, bacterial infections are responsible, including sexually transmitted diseases. Antibiotic treatment can usually eradicate a bacterial infection, but some strains have become resistant to drugs.

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klinefelter's syndrome

Klinefelter’s syndrome is a chromosomal disorder some men are born with, in which an extra X chromosome (XXY instead of XY) is present in their genetic make-up. It leads to no or low sperm count in the semen, although in many cases sperm is still produced in the testes and can be retrieved with a testicular biopsy. This is an inherited condition and affected men should consult with a genetic counselor prior to trying to have a baby, since there is a chance the disorder will be passed on to his son. Chromosomal testing of the embryos or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows these men to have healthy children.

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urinary tract infection (uti)

Repeated UTIs in men may lead to suboptimal fertility. Characterized by a stinging pain during urination, the cause and treatment of UTIs are similar to those for epididymitis.

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sexually transmitted diseases (std)

The risk of infertility due to a STD is high in both women and men. Unlike women, however, men generally feel symptoms from STDs so they can get treated promptly, before any permanent damage is incurred. For example, men with gonorrhea will have pain and discharge while women may not have any symptoms at all.

A man can also have asymptomatic STDs, such as chlamydia, ureaplasma or mycoplasma, which may not affect his fertility. The danger here is that he may unknowingly pass on the disease to his partner, where there can be profound effects on the female partner’s fertility.

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