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According to a study in the United Arab Emirates, male infertility
is on the rise. The UAE study states that the main causes of infertility
in men is obesity, smoking, diabetes and stress.
Every decade 2-percent more men will become infertile and right
now with couple seeking fertility treatment it is 40-percent of
the males who have fertility issues. This is an alarming rate considering
that fertility has long been held mostly a "female" issue.
Of the factors studied, smoking is the culprit for most male infertility
problems as it changes the DNA inside the sperm itself. So, low
sperm count need not be a factor if the sperm itself is damaged.
This problem is not confined to the UAE either since this is a
global
trend among men of all developed nations. While smoking
and second hand smoke affects the DNA inside the sperm, motility
and poor fertilization capabilities also factors in.
Since male infertility is climbing at a faster rate than that of
females it suggests that men are more vulnerable to environmental
factors. Damaged semen due to smoking also can cause miscarriage
and pre-term labor according to the study.
And, as if this weren't bad enough news for men, a recent study
in the United States has linked the use of anti-depressants by men
to male infertility. A group of men who were given the anti-depressant
Paroxetine for 5 weeks showed damaged sperm DNA.
Similar to the smoking results, the sperm count could be within
the normal range yet the internal structure of the sperm is damaged.
Half of the group of men who took the anti-depressants show the
damaged sperm structures.
For these studies, infertility was defined as couple who was having
unprotected sex for one year's time and could not conceive. The
stiff realities of male infertility are just now being understood
under the microscope.
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