With so many causes of infertility, it can be difficult to understand what may be causing YOUR infertility. So let's break it down one by one.

Male factor infertility, also known as MFI. This is such an interesting cause of infertility because it's not talked about as often as female causes of infertility, mostly because there are more causes of infertility that can originate from the female.

This doesn't mean that causes of infertility are more often with the female. It's actually a third female factor, a third male factor, and another third male _*AND*_ female factor. But that being said, the category of male factor infertility covers fewer causes than female factor. But let's dive in today and talk about what are the more common causes of male factor infertility, also known as MFI. Let's dive in. This is a great one. So here we go. 

What is male factor infertility? MFI, or male factor infertility is identified as being due to an issue with sperm, sperm production, or other related issues. Some examples are low sperm count, abnormally shaped sperm, otherwise known as morphology, low sperm movement, otherwise known as motility, and more.

Normal sperm count is considered a range from 15 million to greater than 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen. Low sperm count is considered to be anything fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen. 

In terms of morphology, normal sperm morphology (or shape) has a head, a body and a tail. Abnormal sperm morphology (or shape) is a tail that is too long, a tail that is missing a head, a head that is missing a tail, no body, a head that is too big, a head that is not properly shaped, two heads, or two tails, or anything that is not a normally shaped sperm.

Low sperm motility, also known as slow moving sperm is exactly how it sounds. It's sperm that doesn't move at the proper rate. Normal sperm motility is considered to be sperm that moves forward with progressions of at least 25 micrometers per second. Poor sperm motility is anything that is less than five micrometers per second or sperm that _*doesn't*_ move forward. 

Other causes of male factor infertility are things like varicocele. In varicocele, there is an enlargement of the veins in the scrotum. This enlargement can cause low sperm production and/or decreased sperm quality. In a normal scrotum, the veins are not enlarged and are the proper size.

MFI or male factor infertility, affects an estimated 7% of all men. 40 to 50% of infertility cases are due to MFI. Some causes can be fixed through surgery, diet, and lifestyle changes. Diagnosis is made through a variety of tests, usually in the following order, sperm sample, otherwise known as a semen sample, blood test, imaging, or repeat sperm sample.

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