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The number of infertile men is increasing every year
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
30-40% of men's visits to andrologists are related to inflammatory diseases of the genital area (most often prostatitis ), 30-40% - to erectile dysfunction, 5-10% - to infertility.
This was reported by the chief specialist in sexopathology of the Health Department of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, an employee of the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital, Igor Sudarikov.
"Inflammation can be caused by specific pathogens transmitted sexually, or as a result of hypothermia... Predisposing factors for the development of the disease are usually a sedentary lifestyle, irregular sex, irrational treatment with antibiotics, weakening of the immune system due to severe concomitant diseases (tonsillitis, flu, etc.). Often, prostatitis becomes chronic due to untimely diagnosis," Sudarikov noted.
According to the specialist, the main causes of male infertility are hormonal imbalance, inflammation of the gonads, gonorrhea, dilation of the veins of the spermatic cord, past injuries and infectious parotitis (mumps). "Male infertility is growing at a crazy rate in Ukraine and all over the planet. According to WHO statistics, the proportion of male infertility has become equal to that of females," the expert emphasizes.
Recently, says the sexologist, cases of iatrogenic infertility caused by improper therapeutic treatment have become more frequent: "Most often this occurs as a result of treating sexually transmitted infections with harsh antibiotics, without examining the man's reproductive function."
The doctor believes that the main cause of most sexual ailments is the wrong attitude of men to their health, as well as the lack of a sufficient number of specialists in the field of andrology. "Caring for men's health should begin before the birth of a boy, throughout the entire period of his maturation, active adult life and during the onset of "male menopause". The terrible dynamics of the growth of male infertility is caused by historical neglect of men's health, when for many years in a row, against the background of a well-established system of women's consultations, there were fifteen andrologists in the entire country... The specialty of andrologist is still not included in the list of medical specialties..." - Sudarikov summarizes.