19/09/2025
SIX MYTHS ABOUT MALE FERTILITY.
MYTH 1. A man is always fertile and at whatever age.
FALSE. Even though many men can father children up to an advanced age, male fertility begins to fall after 40 years of age, and the risk of having special children also increases with age.
MYTH 2. Once a man has fathered a child or has impregnated a woman before, he remains fertile forever. FALSE: A man can lose his fertility at any point in time during his lifetime, many medical conditions or lifestyle factors can lead to low s***m count so the fact that the man has fathered a child before or has impregnanted a female before does not indicate that he cannot suffer from infertility.
Myth 3. Excessive sexual in*******se or frequent ma********on can lead to low s***m counts and infertility. FALSE : Regular sexual in*******se or frequent ma********on in no way affects s***m counts or quality. It is a healthy sexual outlet regardless of number of times performed and does not reduce fertility.
MYTH 4. Infertility is always a female issue
FALSE: A common myth around male fertility is that infertility factors must always be attributed to the female. One-third to half of all infertile cases are male-dominated.
MYTH 5. When a man is diagnosed with a low s***m count he is unable to have children for the rest of his life . FALSE: Many men diagnosed with low s***m counts are able to father children along the line without any difficulty, s***m counts can improve with time with lifestyle changes like reduction alcohol consumption, exercise, reduction in use of recreational drugs, eating right and avoiding steroids. With technologies like IVF,ICSI,TESE, etc, even the very severe cases can be salvaged.
MYTH 6. Male infertility is a hereditary condition.
FALSE: Whilst it is true that genetics can play a role in male infertility it is not a deciding factor and many men with serious genetic defects might not even be able to father children at all much more transmitting these deffective genes to their offspring.
Other myths, including the effects of the use of laptops, phones, and other electronic devices, on fertility are up for debate. Maybe these questions will be answered in the near future.
For years, fertility has been a female problem. Male infertility is real and on the increase, evaluation of the male partner is key in addressing issues of infertility. Say no to machismo and masculine pride.
Dr Joseph Homiah
paarhule@gmail.com
Accra Fertility Centre