Infertility is not just a disease that affects women—men suffer as well. In fact, new studies show that in approximately 40 percent of infertility couples the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility.

What Can I Do? Avoid Risky Behaviors

• Avoid Drugs and Excessive Alcohol
• Avoid Sexually Transmitted Infections
  
• Avoid Exposure to High Temperatures
  
• Consider Your Reproductive Plans
  
• Visit Your Doctor

Information on Testing of Infertility in Men

Avoid Drugs and Excessive Alcohol

Drugs such as steroids, cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol can negatively impact your health in many ways, including greatly affecting your testicular function, leading to abnormally shaped sperm, decreased sperm motility and/or decreased sperm production. To improve your chances of conceiving in the future, avoid drugs now.

For more information about substance abuse, visit the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information’s website at www.health.org.

• ASRM’s Paper on Smoking and Infertility (Microsoft Word document)
• ASRM’s Public Service Announcement on Smoking and Infertility (Adobe Acrobat document)

Avoid Sexually Transmitted Infections

STIs don’t just affect a women’s fertility. If you become inflicted with an STI, you may never be able to have kids. STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are a leading cause of infertility, often have no symptoms, and can be prevented by regular use of condoms.

If you want to improve your chances of having a baby in the future, practice safe sex now.

For more information about STIs, visit the Center for Disease Control’s website section on STI prevention at www.cdc.org.

• ASRM’s Paper on Sexually Transmitted Infections and Infertility
  (Adobe Acrobat document)
• ASRM’s Public Service Announcement on Sexually Transmitted Infections and Infertility (Adobe Acrobat document)

Avoid Exposure to High Temperatures

Exposure to high heat, such as that of a hot tub, can affect your fertility by lowering sperm production due to excess heat in the scrotal area. In addition, men whose occupations require long hours of sitting or who wear tight underclothes may also experience decreased sperm production for this reason. When considering your future fertility, it is important to consider the impact of prolonged exposure to heat. To protect your fertility, protect yourself from high-heat situations.

Consider Your Reproductive Plans

Aging doesn’t just affect women’s fertility; it can also affect men. The ability to conceive decreases with aging, affecting sperm shape and motility. While there is no maximum age at which men are not capable of conceiving a child, aging does have an effect. To improve your chances of conceiving, consider your age an important factor.

• ASRM’s Paper on Aging and Infertility (Microsoft Word document)
• ASRM’s Public Service Announcement on Aging and Infertility (Adobe Acrobat document)

Protect Your Fertility and Visit Your Doctor

• Fertility is something that you should start thinking about as early as possible. Begin a dialogue about this with your doctor early, and ask for more information on the risks out there to your fertility.
• Listen to your body. If you’ve been exposed to an STI, see your doctor immediately.

Infertility affects men and women equally.

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