Among the infertility patients males account for about 35% of the total. Aside from congenital diseases and physical defects, sperm abnormality, which covers count, volume, motility, morphology and liquefaction, figures prominently in male infertility. Sperm abnormality can result from low testosterone level, seminal duct blockage, etc.

To tackle male infertility we need to find the root cause on a case-by-case basis.

For instance, a low sperm count may be caused by different factors—thick liquefaction, high body temperature, or circulation blockage, etc.

Dr. Lee thinks environmental changes and one’s life style are also at play. The environment has changed so much and people’s life styles have also undergone rapid changes. A high-protein and high-fat diet, smoking, pressure, stress and lack of exercise, etc. lead to overweight, high cholesterol and endocrine function disorder both in males and in females.

If the sperm’s liquefaction is too thick, it is like a crowded swimming pool or a traffic jam. For instance, some males appear very strong, but their sperm reports show abnormality –a low count or a large number of dead sperms. A deep probe into their health history reveals causes of their inadequate sperm. Some of them have taken too much tonic to reinforce the body’s vital functions, so their bodies are “overheated”. Others often use sauna to relieve stress. As a result, they develop symptoms such as fear of heat, thirst, sweating, dark yellow urine, fast pulse, etc, thus making sperm survival extremely difficult.

Sperm survives at a low temperature. Physically speaking, the temperature of the scrotum is lower than the regular body temperature. Spermophlebectasia may be another cause of male infertility. It may trigger a higher temperature in the testes due to circulation blockage. For such cases the treatment should be targeted on correcting their body’s temperature, rather than on tonifying or increasing Yang function. Tonification or increase of Yang function can only make things worse for male patients. The principle of treating male infertility, as is the case with treating female infertility, remains the same: Go find the root cause and have it eliminated. Then conception becomes a matter of course.