Infertility; we hear it many times but always it is thought that women are the cause. But, this is not true even men can be infertile. There are many reasons for men being infertile. Infertility is “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse”.

Reasons for Infertility in Men

What causes infertility in men? There are many factors responsible for male infertility, some of them are: varicocele(it is  an enlargement of the veins within the loose bag of skin that holds your testicles (scrotum)), ejaculation issues, infection, antibodies that attack sperm, tumors, hormonal imbalance or problems with sexual intercourse. All these factors are responsible for decrease sperm count or any other problem that makes conception difficult. There lies a confusion that, can masturbation cause infertility in men?

Effect of Masturbation on Fertility

First let me make clear what is masturbation?

Masturbation is stimulating one’s own genital organs for arousing sexually or for sexual pleasure. This in no way can hinder the changes of fathering children. Male partner needs to restrict his masturbation if a couple is planning about pregnancy. Men should be made aware about the myths associated with masturbation and what the real truth is. Calm down, to decrease your fear I need to mention one more point. If you ejaculate inside a woman’s body or outside it , has no effect on your fertility. Chances of pregnancy increase if you ejaculate inside a women’s body. Those men who are trying to get their partners pregnant should keep this in mind.

Quality of Semen

Well, frequent ejaculation also indicates about healthy sex drive, it is common for men to masturbate many times a day. Some men notice that if they ejaculate a couple of times in a 24-hour period that semen becomes more watery and begin to worry that they might run out sperm. This is not possible as there is continuous production of sperm in men. But frequent ejaculation can influence the amount and the quality of both the semen and the sperm that comes out. Ejaculation occurs because of masturbation, so restricting masturbation will help to preserve the sperms which will help your partner to conceive.

When a man masturbates till completion, he ends up ejaculating the semen. The men who don’t masturbate can have higher volume of semen compared to men who masturbate. Quantity of semen per ejaculate is decreased with high frequency of masturbation and to restore the quantity you have to wait. there’s one more reason that you should decrease masturbation, as it can lower you’re your energy levels and you  may feel tired and even loose your sexual desire may decrease or your desire of having an intercourse may decrease.

What does researchers say?

There has been a lot of research on the topic of masturbation and its relation with male infertility. These studies came back with mixed results, with data on both sides of the fence. As the famous phrase says that every coin has two sides, so was the result of study. On one side it was suggested that men should refrain from masturbation , if they want to make their partners pregnant and on the other side some suggested that there is no relation between masturbation and infertility.

Erectile Dysfunction

Another very common myth associated with male masturbation is that it causes erectile dysfunction in men. This is far from being true. Masturbating cannot cause erectile dysfunctions( Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse. It’s also sometimes referred to as impotence).however some men do it for self pleasure and if it is on regular basis it can make conception difficult, as they may find it difficult to have orgasm with their partners.. This may lead to some problems when it comes to starting a family and having a baby.

In conclusion I would like to mention that masturbation has no relation with infertility. But if a male decreases the frequency of masturbation, then he has control on himself and this can solve some problems related to conception. But if your partner is not getting pregnant even after you refrained yourself from masturbating then contacting your fertility expert as soon as possible is the only solution. The expert will guide you properly by explaining the exact problem. This will help you to find out the root cause of infertility. Don’t be shy to speak up about your problems, because only your doctor can help you. Correct treatment and prevention will solve your problem. Be aware and live healthy.