Procreation - mission accomplished

Author: Urologist-andrologist, Ph.D.  Yarmukhamedov Alisher Salidzhanovich

Having offspring is a great asset of humanity, gifted by nature. Meanwhile, humanity is plagued by diseases that prevent procreation.

About 15% of married couples fail when trying to get pregnant the first time. Most doctors diagnose primary infertility in cases where pregnancy does not occur within one year without contraception. According to statistics, in 80-85% of married couples, conception occurs within 12 months of sexual activity without contraception, and situations where pregnancy does not occur during this period of time are regarded as possible infertility, and patients are recommended to be examined. Data obtained over the past 20 years show that in approximately 30% of cases of problems with conception, only the male factor plays a role, and in approximately 20%, disorders are found in both the husband and wife. Thus, the male factor, at least partially, plays a role in 50% of cases of infertility. The quality of sperm plays a major role in fertilization.

Sperm formation (spermatogenesis) is a complex process. There are six stages of sperm development. The development of sperm from the first stage to the sixth is one cycle. In humans, each cycle lasts approximately 16 days, and the transformation from early spermatogonia to mature sperm takes 4.6 cycles. Thus, the duration of spermatogenesis in humans is about 74 days.

The average healthy man releases between 120 and 600 million sperm with each ejaculation. In addition, the ejaculate contains water, glucose and other sugars necessary for their nutrition; alkalis, prostaglandids (stimulate the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing them to contract), cholesterol, zinc, vitamin C and other substances.

The reasons leading to an increase in the number of infertile marriages are varied. The main factors are varicocele (dilation of the veins of the spermatic cord), chronic infections of the male reproductive system, diabetes mellitus, insufficient function of the testicles, pituitary gland and hypothalamus, impaired release of sperm through the vas deferens (congenital anomalies or disorders arising as a result of injuries, operations, inflammations), occupational hazards.

There are the following types of male infertility. Secretory infertility and excretory infertility. The examination of spouses should begin at the same time, especially since the examination of a man, compared to the examination of women, is much simpler, faster and cheaper, since it consists of only one sperm analysis. Unfortunately, we often have to face a situation where a woman spends a long time, sometimes years, being examined and treated, but her husband’s examination is postponed indefinitely, despite the persistent recommendations of the attending physician. The most common arguments given by a man are: “I have no problems, therefore, there can be no problems with reproductive function,” and the second, most “convincing” one is “I’m fine, because it can’t be otherwise.” These arguments, as a rule, hide an inexplicable fear of visiting a doctor of this specialty.

But to identify the causes, it is only necessary to undergo a semen analysis. To assess the fertilizing ability of sperm, the number of sperm in one milliliter, the percentage of actively motile sperm, the percentage of morphologically normal (mature) forms and a number of other parameters are determined. Semen evaluation should be carried out according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization guidelines.

The average pregnancy rate in infertile couples using all available treatment methods is 35-40%. Probably, almost every married couple, thinking about their first child, wonders about its gender. Some people want a boy to be born first, others want a girl to be born first...

Scientists from New Zealand are convinced that women in leadership positions are much more likely to give birth to a boy. It has been established that the level of testosterone in the blood of energetic women is slightly higher than normal, so the probability of giving birth to a healthy boy is 80%! Scientists are convinced that it is the increased level of testosterone that guarantees the birth of a son.

The sperm is responsible for the sex of the unborn child. Half of the sperm carries the X chromosome, the other half carries the Y chromosome, and the egg always contains the X chromosome. Thus, the fusion of sex cells results in either a girl (XX) or a boy (XY).

“Boyish” sperm, nimble and nimble, are real sprinters. They're fasterThey cover a distance of 15-20 centimeters and reach the goal - the egg. If it is in the fallopian tube, most likely it will be the Y-spermatozoa – the “boyish” ones – that will reach it first.

"Girl" X sperm, although less mobile than "boy" sperm, are more resilient and tenacious. Y sperm quickly lose strength - after a couple of days they are motionless and, in principle, drop out of the game. Only X sperm remain on the battlefield, which in splendid isolation “make” girls.

One of the methods for planning the gender of a child is based on calculating the day on which ovulation occurs in a woman’s body. As was said, sperm carrying the “male” Y chromosome live less than sperm carrying the “female” X chromosome, but they move more actively. Therefore, if this happens on the day of ovulation, the “male” sperm are the first to reach the egg, and after 9 months a boy is born. And if this happens 1-2 days before ovulation (remember that sperm remain active for 3 days), then by the time the egg matures, the “male” sperm have time to die, and a girl develops.

The ability to reproduce is a mirror of health (almost like a face is a mirror of the soul) and therefore, if you lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right, do not have congenital anatomical anomalies, if you have not had inflammatory testicular disease or injury, then your chances of becoming a happy father are quite high.

In conclusion, I would like to note that, despite the seriousness of the problem of male infertility, with timely treatment, success can be achieved in the vast majority of cases.

Urologist-andrologist, Ph.D.  Yarmukhamedov Alisher Salidzhanovich