1)Difficulty in sexual functioning
2)Pain in the testicular region.
3)Abnormal breast growth
4)Lower sperm count
5)Low levels of testosterone levels and other hormonal imbalances

Common signs of infertility 

After several unsuccessful attempts at conceiving a child, the doctor may advise going for a sperm donor. This usually triggers a lot of negative thoughts in men like, &ldquo;I have failed my wife&rdquo;, &ldquo;The child will not be my own&rdquo;, or go through the fear that his wife would leave him.
This may escalate into psychological trauma and issues like anxiety, shame, low self-esteem, difficulty sleeping, marital relation, feelings of inadequacy and guilt. In the Indian scenario, males tend to ignore seeking help for their mental wellbeing due to societal taboo attached to it. They feel it would be looked down upon or considered as their weakness.

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On the contrary, this is a crucial stage to seek help at. A mental health professional can counsel the individual on how to adjust and accept this situation, while guiding him with solutions of what to do next. It would be a journey for a couple, especially the husband where he can feel safe to express and vent his feelings. Afterall, real courage lies in finding your way forward, even when things seem scary.
Path Towards Recovery and Strength :-
Some proven techniques which mental health professionals use are -

Pic: Unsplash

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-
The beauty of CBT is that it can be used to address many issues one may face in life. It helps you understand which thoughts create your worldview and how much impact they have on your feelings and behaviour. One realizes they have the power to break the cycle of negative thought and build a new empowering cycle of thoughts, feelings and behaviours!

Relaxing Techniques-&nbsp;
1) Deep Breathing: It is proven that whenever emotions like anger surface, just close your eyes and count backwards from 20 to 1. Accompany this with 5 deep breaths and you can see your mood instantly changing!
2) Practice mindfulness: which means focussing on the present moment including your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations&nbsp;
3) Meditation: LISSUN has several meditations, made by experts for relaxing your mind and body. Explore them here, in the meditation section.

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Educating about one&rsquo;s psychology-
Men not only learn about infertility, the process of testing and its accompanying challenges but also understand how their thought process works at a deeper level. They explore where their feelings are coming from and understand why they may be experience anxiety, low self-esteem, etc. This can continue beyond infertility and address other aspects of one&rsquo;s life.

Many assume that issues of infertility are mostly associated with females but in reality, it can affect males too. Infertility in men simply means the inability to conceive a child.

Male Infertility: Psychological Perspective

male-infertility-psychological-perspective