The males out there are still in-cognizant of the harmful effects of alcohol on the reproductive system of males. But once they read what’s in here for them, chances are, some won’t touch alcohol ever again. Take a look at the following article…
Funny how alcohol may often lead to sex at a bar, but it does decrease your sex drive. ~ Self
The wise gave up on, the smart ones do it occasionally, but the addicted? They drink like there’s no tomorrow. Indeed, no other enticement matches the forbidden. The prices hiked, bans actioned, mom / wife / girlfriend left them forever, but they braved on drinking more and more. Ever wondered what could be the effects of drinking so much? Yeah, yeah. We get all your witty comebacks – drinking is for the strong, drinking is fun, drinking is a great way of celebration, et al. But I’m not going to prattle about how to get over this addiction of alcohol that many battle against.
What I am going to do, however, is enlist all those consequences of alcohol on the male reproductive system, that might instigate you to watch out on what and how much you’re drinking. Whether it is sexuality, life expectancy, or impotence, the association between alcohol and the male reproductive system is often debated upon. The effects are much more critical than you and me can think of, and nothing underlines this fact better, than the increasing cases of sterility and impotence in men. To know more about what can alcohol do to your reproductive system, read up on.
How Does Alcohol Affect the Male Reproductive System?
For once, many people might just negate the fact that alcohol has an effect over the reproductive system, considering that it has got more to do with the liver. However, alcohol interferes with the functioning of hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary gland, and the testes, all of which make up the male reproductive system. Alcohol, when consumed in large amounts, destroys the healthy cells that produce sperms, thereby, causing low levels of sexual urge or libido. This disease is referred to as gynecomastia in medical lexicon.
Scientifically speaking, the quality of sperm is acknowledged as morphology, and good morphology equals good density and appropriate size and form of the sperms. Alcohol, when consumed in excess, gives bad sperm morphology, concluding that your sperms’ density is insufficient, and their size and form is abnormal. What’s more, alcohol impairs the functioning of the testicles, thus, preventing the sperm from maturing. Excess alcohol disrupts the production of hormones in the hypothalamus, and causes many fertility problems. A semen analysis kit can help you test the quality of your sperms, and reporting to your health care provider, in case the results are disturbing.
In a nutshell, given below is a list of all the harmful effects that alcohol has on the reproductive system of men.
- Alcohol abuse causes impaired testosterone production, and shrinks the testicular atrophy, which results in infertility and impotence. Many alcohol abusers have experienced reduced chest and facial hair, breast enlargement, and increase in weight.
- Alcoholics often complain about complications in having children as a result of damaged sperms, which is a result of continuous alcohol intake. As discussed in the previous section, drinking alcohol decreases your sperm count and mutilates the shape and size of the sperms, thus causing huge complexities in fertility.
- Another remarkable consequence of excess alcohol on the male reproductive system is in decreasing the levels of glutathione which is a sulfur-containing compound that protects the membranes from lipid peroxidation, a destructive process of the testicles. For the reason that alcohol converts to acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver, it reduces the levels glutathione, thus increasing the chances of testicular lipid peroxidation, contributing to testicular injury.
- Alcohol’s harmful effects are most recognized by decreased libido or sexual desire in men, decreasing the sex drive and destroying the body’s sexual function. Reports state that this decreased desire for sex is one of the key causes for disruption in relationships.
Decreased sexual desire is not only a sign of adverse alcohol effects in men but women too. Alcohol first impacts your health, and then your relationships. Of course, from a social point of view, you need not worry, as alcohol is a staple drink of every party. However, something that poses a threat not only to you but your family relationships as well, is, in no way, an acceptable habit. The status of drinking might have changed over the years, but not the fact that it can potentially affect the male reproductive system, big time.