Patient's question:
Hello! My husband and I both tested positive for Mycoplasma. Could you please answer the following questions?1. Can this cause infertility?
2. Due to my low menstrual flow, I need to undergo a sex hormone test. However, some doctors recommend taking a blood test on the second or third day of my period, while others suggest waiting until about one week after my period ends. So, when exactly should I go for the test?
Doctor's answer:
Hello: It is very possible! Urinary and genital infections can affect sperm motility, sperm production, and sperm transport, leading to male infertility. The inflammatory damage and fibrosis caused by urinary and genital infections are important factors or causes of male infertility. Therefore, the male infertility encountered in clinical practice with various factors or causes may be related to these urinary infections.Chlamydia and mycoplasma urinary and genital infections are one of the factors affecting sperm. Chlamydia can counteract sperm production and maturation. Some reports using electron microscopy have found Chlamydia trachomatis in the semen, testes, and epididymis of infertile men, with significantly abnormal sperm morphology. The lumen of the curved seminiferous tubules is blocked by immature spermatogenic cells, and their basal membrane is damaged, with extensive fibrosis. The epididymis has missing cilia, and its lumen is filled with membranous remnants. Therefore, it is believed that chlamydia infection has a destructive effect on the testes and epididymis. Chlamydia can not only adhere to the surface of sperm but also enter the sperm internally, causing damage to the sperm membrane and acrosome. In immunological infertility, the positive rate of Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies is also relatively high, and the mechanism may be related to the increase in white blood cells that phagocytose sperm, greatly increasing the contact between sperm antibodies and white blood cells, leading to the production of antisperm antibodies.
Regarding how mycoplasma affects sperm motility and fertility, it is not yet fully clear, but scholars believe it may occur through the following pathways:
(1) Effects on normal physiological functions of sperm: Mycoplasma infection-induced epididymitis and chronic prostatitis can affect the normal function of sperm. A large number of mycoplasma adhere to sperm, making them swollen and increasing the resistance to forward movement, thereby affecting sperm motility and penetration into the egg. The adhesion of mycoplasma to sperm also affects the egg's ability to recognize sperm.
(2) Toxic effects of ammonia: One characteristic of Ureaplasma urealyticum is that it requires and utilizes urea during growth. The decomposition products of urea, amines, and the resulting alkaline environment are pathogenic.
(3) Effects of mycoplasma infection on sperm metabolism: Mycoplasma lacks a cell wall. When mycoplasma adheres to the surface of host cells, toxic substances in the cytoplasm of mycoplasma are directly absorbed into the host cells, causing cell damage and destruction.
(4) Ureaplasma urealyticum can produce neuraminidase-like substances that interfere with fertilization.
In summary, urinary infections caused by chlamydia and mycoplasma are closely related to male infertility, and the incidence rate is gradually increasing, attracting the attention of scholars and male patients. Through nearly eight years of clinical treatment and observation, our hospital has found that oral administration of non-lin Qing combined with gatifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and other drugs often yields good results.