When infertility becomes a "guy thing".

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

When infertility strikes, it can be a massive source of stress for couples, and many are quick to assume it is a female issue. However, the average sperm count for adult males has decreased by 50% since 1938, and currently is declining at a rate of two percent a year, according to a British Medical Journal study. Stress, exposure to environmental toxins, and diets deficient in key vitamins and minerals are likely to blame, as is the overconsumption of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.

"It's a fact that one in six couples will have difficulty conceiving, but many aren't aware that almost haft the time it's the male who is the cause of the problem," notes fertility specialist Amos Grunebaum, a medical advisor for Fairhaven Health, Lowell, Mass.

"When couples address this issue, it's been my experience that the woman is the first to see a specialist to determine her fertility status. It's a little more difficult to get the man on board with doing the same thing. Some men just don't want to acknowledge that they have a fertility...