Infertility can be the result of unhealthy and poor lifestyle and sexual habits. These may include:

· Stress – Too much stress can significantly lessen a man’s sperm count; it can also cause irregularities in a woman’s menstrual cycle.

· Clothing – Constant wearing of tight pants may cause a man the ability to produce a normal and adequate sperm count since the tight pants elevates the temperature on his crotch negatively affecting the production of sperm.

· Eating habits – A woman can become infertile from anorexia or starvation diets.

• Drugs – Illegal and certain prescribed medications can cause infertility in both man and woman. The same is true with alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking.
• Use of improper lubricants – Using the wrong lubricant for sex that kills sperm can cause male infertility
• Lack of sexual activity – Little sexual activity can render a man impotent and therefore infertile

There are many potential reasons why a female can become infertile and some of the common reasons are illnesses, complications in the reproductive organs and hormonal deficiencies. Surgery and some medications can also lead to female infertility.

Some other common causes of female infertility are:

• Illness – High blood pressure, kidney problems and diabetes rank high in the causes for infertility. Urinary tract infection as well as an ectopic pregnancy can also cause female infertility.
• Premature menopause – There are some females below menopausal age who all of a sudden just stop producing eggs. This can be the result of anorexia or too much exercise.
• Medications – Temporary infertility can be one of the side effects of certain drugs like analgesics, antidepressants, antibiotics and hormonal drugs. Acetaminophen can also bring about infertility by effecting the luteinizing hormones and estrogen in the body.
• Poor Cervical mucous quality – When the cervical mucus of a woman fails to thin, it makes it hard for the sperm to travel far and makes it unable to fertilize the egg. An infected cervix can also cause infertility.
• Weak uterine muscle function – Poor muscle contraction may prevent the sperm from reaching the egg.
• Surgery – Scar tissue from surgery of the abdomen can limit the movement of the eggs and weaken the function of the reproductive organs causing infertility. Abortions can leave scar tissues in the cervix which can obstruct the uterus and cause infertility.
• Abnormal reproductive organs – Uterine abnormality like endometritis can make it hard for the fertilized egg to attach itself to the uterine lining.
• Fibroids – These are growths which can be found in the cervix or fallopian tubes that prevent the sperm from reaching the egg or the fertilized egg from reaching the uterine wall.
• Luteal phase defect – This type of problem means not enough progesterone is produced to reinforce the uterine lining which prevents the fertilized egg from attaching itself there.
• Immune system dysfunction – Sometimes a woman’s immune system identifies the sperm as a foreign body and attacks the sperm leading to infertility.
• Hormonal Problems – Thyroid or adrenal deficiencies or excessive prolactin production can lead to infertility.
• Problems in the ovary
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Endometriosis – Some parts of the uterine lining attaches themselves in the pelvis, tubes, ovaries and vagina of the woman. These parts can lead to scars that block the passage of the ovum
• Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS – This condition means that testosterone and LH levels are high while levels of FSH levels low preventing follicles to produce eggs resulting in infertility,
• High cholesterol or insulin levels
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID – This is caused by pelvic infection or infection of the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes or ovaries of the female causing infertility or blood poisoning, ectopic pregnancy or even death.

Causes of Male Infertility

Problems with the sperm are often the cause of infertility of the male. These can include poor quality sperm or low sperm count. There are factors that can contribute to this problem and they can be:

· Chronic infections of the prostate

· Testicle injury

· Medications – Sperm count and quality can be affected by drugs such as chemotherapy drugs (Neosar and Cytoxan), corticosteroids, Axulfidine, Folex, Dilantin or Tagamet; tranquilizers or meds for high blood pressure

· Chemical or metal exposure – these can include pesticides or lead based chemicals

· Spinal cord injury

· Surgery – Prostate, bladder or neck surgery

· Diseases – Multiple sclerosis or diabetes

· Retrograde ejaculation – Instead of pushing the sperm out, this condition pushes the sperm back into the bladder.

· Infections – Tuberculosis or gonorrhea

· Undescended testicle – One or both testes remain in the cavity which normally should have descended even before birth

· Swollen veins in the scrotum

· Under-developed testes

Other causes of male infertility are:

· Sexual performance problems due to painful intercourse, premature ejaculation or impotence.

· Hormonal problems that abruptly stops a man’s capacity to produce sperm – This can arise from birth, from hormonal problems caused by malnutrition, too much exercise, certain illnesses, radiation exposure or tumors in the pituitary gland

· Structural problems or genetic defects – Y chromosome defects or germ-cell aplasia can cause a man’s infertility.

Do you have questions or want to learn about acupuncture fertility treatments?

Call us at (904) 260-2598 or click here to send us an e-mail.

Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic
9066 Cypress Green Dr
Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 260-2598

Jamie Catlett is an acupuncturist in Jacksonville, FL and the founder of Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic. She specializes in alternative pain management therapies and helping women get pregnant with acupuncture fertility treatments.

Jamie Catlett – who has written 7 posts on Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic Blog.

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