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Is infertility a problem that primarily affects women?
Infertility is not only a female problem, but it can affect both men and women and affects, overall, about 15% of couples.
Male infertility is a major medical and social problem and underlies about half of the causes of couple infertility.
According to data collected by the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexuality Medicine, about 1 in 3 men in Italy is at risk of infertility. The National Register on Medically Assisted Procreation of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità reports that, among couples who turn to assisted procreation, in 29.3% of cases it is male infertility, in 37.1% female sterility or infertility, in 17.6% of infertility of both.
A distinction must be made between sterility and infertility; the first indicates the inability to conceive, the second the inability to carry the pregnancy to term.
But when is it that we talk about infertility? The World Health Organization (WHO) talks about infertility in the event of failure to conceive after a period of at least 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The causes, both male and female, can The main behavioral risk factors for both include smoking, obesity or excessive thinness, sedentary lifestyle or excessive physical activity and doping. Diseases that can prevent procreation in both genres, we primarily have sexually transmitted infectious diseases. Other pathological causes in women can be tubal changes, pelvic inflammatory diseases, uterine fibroids, endometriosis and hormonal and ovulatory alterations, while in men we have conditions that alter the production hormonal and / or the structure and function of the testis and prostate diseases.
1. Available on the website: National Register of Medically Assisted Procreation (ISS)
2. Carlo Forest. Male infertility and local prevention strategies
3. Available on the website: World Health Organization (WHO)
4. Ministry of Health. Fertility
