
Written by Aparna Hari
Infertility is often associated with women but that is obviously not true. In almost 30% of infertility cases, the male factor infertility is responsible. Thus, evaluating male fertility is equally important when a couple suffers from non-conception. But sometimes fertility test reports do not reveal the actual reasons for infertility. This condition is medically termed as unexplained infertility and if it is the test report of the male then it will be termed as unexplained infertility in men.
Unexplained infertility in men is a situation when the physical or mental factor causing infertility is not getting detected through conventional fertility tests. Unexplained infertility in men does not suggest they cannot procreate. It, in fact, demands a deeper introspection into the person’s mental and medical history. And with a successful analysis, the person can fight back his infertility with time. Here is what you must kxfnow about unexplained infertility in men, its causes and treatments.
In This Article
Unexplained infertility is a condition when the actual reason behind infertility remains hidden after conducting several fertility tests. In this case, the healthcare provider failed to diagnose the cause of the infertility of a person or a couple. Generally, couples suffering from infertility have to go through lots of fertility tests to get confirmation about what reasons are causing infertility in them.
Female infertility occurs most of the time because of ovulation-related issues and for men, it happens due to issues related to sperm. There can be several other factors causing infertility in both men and women. But in case of unexplained infertility, everything seems normal in the test reports as the fertility tests fail to find out the cause of infertility. Healthcare providers will only declare unexplained infertility after testing both partners. Male unexplained infertility may seem to be a hopeless condition where to-the-point treatment cannot be given due to the lack of clarity. But with proper medical assistance, conception is possible.
Unexplained infertility in men is a condition when routine analysis of semen does not figure out any abnormalities regarding its quantity or quality or shape or structure. Healthcare providers will only declare a man to be suffering from unexplained male infertility if both his physical and endocrine checkup results are normal and his female partner has already been ruled out from infertility factors.
The factors that can cause unexplained infertility in men include immunological causes, coital factors, erectile problems, and sperm dysfunction.
According to the report of NCBI, low levels of leukocytospermia, sperm dysfunctions in cellular and sub-cellular levels and genetic disorders can cause unexplained male infertility.
Other factors that can be responsible for unexplained male infertility are
The symptoms of unexplained infertility in men are not different from the general infertility symptoms.
Here are a few diagnostic tests for infertile men who otherwise show a normal semen analysis report.
Men with unexplained infertility generally show poor sperm function test results despite having good results on the basic semen analysis tests.
Additional tests include
As doctors will fail to identify the cause of infertility in this scenario, they can only recommend treatments on the basis of their previous similar cases in accordance with your individual reports. Treatments for unexplained infertility will also depend on your age and urgency to become a father.
The most common treatments for unidentified male infertility are
Often the timing of intercourse does not fit according to the time of ovulation. Predicting ovulation in women with an irregular menstrual cycle thus ovulation kits, basal body temperature measurements, etc. are used.
[Read : Lifestyle Changes When Trying To Conceive]
Couples with unexplained infertility can sometimes conceive successfully by following a healthy diet and lifestyle. Daily exercise, proper sleep, meditation, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, a stress-free mind, and avoidance of alcohol, caffeine, and smoking can increase your reproductive capabilities.
Doctors may work on improving the confidence of the man who is otherwise healthy but suffering from mental trauma or insecurities during sex.
ART treatments such as intrauterine insemination and invitro fertilization make fertilization of the egg to create an embryo inside the lab possible. In the case of IUI, sperm is taken from the male to wash and concentrate in a particular order before injecting it into the uterus of the female during ovulation. IVF on the other hand creates the embryo on the lab plate before injecting it into the uterus to grow.
[Read : Basics Of IUI and IVF (Assisted Reproduction Techniques)]
You must consult a doctor for unexplained infertility when
If your medical reports do not show the problem causing your infertility, do not lose hope. There may be psychological or genetic issues you need to fight back. You must know that about 90% of people declared as having unexplained infertility ultimately becomes parents by taking the help of some sort of ARTs. With the enhancement of medical science, fertility treatment is getting more successful and easily accessible. So be positive.
About 15 to 30% of couples suffering from infertility are diagnosed as having unexplained infertility. And among them, about 2 to 5% of men suffer from unexplained infertility.
Yes, it is not impossible to become fertile once you have been declared infertile. Especially if the environmental factors, stress and lifestyle are the reason behind your infertility then you can enhance your fertility just by eradicating them from your life.
Read Also: What Are The Different Types Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies?
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.Read more.
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