One may be considered infertile, if a child has not been conceived after at least one year of unprotected intercourse. Several problems in men, such as hormone disorders, illness, reproductive anatomy trauma and obstruction may be temporary or permanent causes.

The primary causes of male infertility are: impaired sperm production, impaired sperm delivery and testosterone deficiency. These may take the form of:

• Previous Vasectomy
  This can be corrected by surgery, and has a 90% success rate. The chance of having live sperm, however, is affected by the amount of time since the vasectomy.
  
  
• Varicocele
  This is a group of dilated veins, which drain the blood from the testicles, causing infertility. The veins can be removed by surgery from the testicle.
  
  
• Retrograde Ejaculation
  In some cases, the ejaculate passes into the bladder, not the urethra. The main symptom is cloudy urine after ejaculation. In this case, the sperm from the first urination after ejaculation can be collected, and implanted into the uterus of the female.
  
  
• Hormone Imbalance
  The exact cause of the imbalance must be determined, before a suitable course of action can be taken to treat the patient.