Male Fertility – 3 STIs That Could Hinder Your Chances of Becoming a Dad

Every year, there are over 310,000 STIs diagnosed in England, and men represent the more significant proportion of this figure – that’s right, chaps, 1511 and 804 per 100,000 for men and women, respectively. 

I’ve covered the ins and outs of various sexual health-related issues in my blogs (genital warts and all!). Still, I haven’t yet touched upon specifically which individual STIs could prevent your chap from co-creating life. Knowing which STIs hinder your fertility and how is valuable knowledge every chap should have under his belt.

Gonorrhea

Symptoms:

• Burning sensation when you pee.

• White, yellow, or green discharge coming from the penis.

• Painful or swollen testicles.

Gonorrhoea affects both men and women and aside from being incredibly painful and confidence-hindering, it can affect your long-term fertility if left untreated. The STI causes inflammation in the rear portion of the testicles where the sperm ducts can be found. The oxidative stress and scarring that follows inflammation damages sperm DNA.

The bad news is that the disease is becoming increasingly antibiotic-resistant, according to the American Center for Disease Control. The good news is basic sensible steps like wrapping your chap during intercourse and having open and honest communication with a new partner will ensure your risk for contracting gonorrhoea remains low.

Chlamydia

Symptoms

• Symptomless in many cases.

• Pain when urinating.

• Testicular soreness.

• Burning or itching in the urethra.

Let’s do the good news first – chlamydia is the most curable STI.

Now for the ‘but’.

If left untreated, it can cause a significant decline in the quality and mobility of your sperm. Many people are unaware that it can also be passed from a mother to her baby, causing inclusion conjunctivitis. The last thing you want as a new dad is to pass chlamydia onto not just the mother of your child but your new baby too.

Chlamydia directly causes the fragmentation of sperm, and passing the disease onto your partner will further reduce the possibility of you becoming a dad. Chlamydia testing is readily available, and you can get the results back in just 7-10 days through the NHS. As it’s a bacterial infection, chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics. Still, you must take the whole course, as like gonorrhoea, it’s a tenacious infection that will come back given half the chance!

HPV

Symptoms

• Symptomless in most cases.

• Warts.

• Unusual growths and lumps

• Sores.

Male HPV is three times more prevalent in men than women, so it’s important to take it seriously (though it’s one of the less talked about STIs, which needs to change!)

Some studies have shown that HPV-infected sperm move less fluidly, though this view isn’t yet widely accepted as other researchers have not found a definitive link. What we do know about HPV, for sure, though, is that it lowers your sperm count and can go on to cause multiple cancers, including cancer of the penis. Treatment to address cancer caused by the HPV virus, such as radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy, is well-known to hinder sperm quality and count.

Mental health and fertility

We can’t discuss fertility problems without mentioning mental health and how the two are intertwined. There are now multiple studies that have shown a solid link between poor fertility and stress. It’s believed that releasing steroid hormones when stressed could cause a dip in testosterone and sperm production.

This stress can be compounded by further stress of trying to conceive and not seeing any results, becoming a challenging, vicious cycle. No one should have to go through this, and plenty of free and private resources can help support you if you’re a chap in need of an emotional helping hand. 

If you’re experiencing stress and trying to conceive, contact the NHS, which can provide CBT counselling to help manage stress and anxiety. Just remember, chaps, there’s always someone ready to listen to you when you need it the most.