While doctors have been aware of the negative impact of obesity on a woman's fertility, more recently they are discovering that the male partner's weight can also cause problems in conceiving. In fact, men who have a higher body mass index than their slimmer counterparts have a substantially higher risk of having fertility problems. Male obesity has also been shown to lower sperm count, as well as the concentration of sperm, to cause significant hormonal imbalances, to increase the temperature surrounding the scrotum, and to decrease a man's overall sex drive. Obese men can also produce sperm which has fragmented DNA-in other words, the sperm quality is greatly deteriorated and can both lessen fertility and increase the risk of miscarriage as well. A study done at Penn State showed that men who are significantly overweight commonly suffer from hormonal imbalances which lead directly to infertility. Obesity can also cause men to suffer from erectile dysfunction and libido which is lacking.
