February 29th, 2016
Male infertility refers to an inability to impregnate a woman despite regular sexual intercourse. It is believed that low sperm count is by far the most frequently reported cause of male infertility.
Sperm production and transportation in the semen is a complex process that involves normal functioning of testicles. In addition, adequate functioning of several other organs and glands is also necessary (such as pituitary and hypothalamus) to synthesize the hormones required to trigger the process of sperm production. Once sperms are produced, highly intricate and delicate network of tubes deliver these sperms into the ejaculate. Any disorder, dysfunction or aberration in this normal process can lead to low or dysfunctional sperms.
The diagnosis of low sperm count (also known as oligospermia) is made if your sperm count is lower than 15 million sperm/ ml of semen. A complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate is referred to as azoospermia.
Unfortunately, males with low sperm count are often asymptomatic. In other words, besides infertility, there may be no apparent sign or symptoms in men with low sperm count. In some rare instances, affected person may manifest some troubling signs such as:
These symptoms are often a result of primary etiology that is causing low sperm count in the first place.
Some notable causes of low sperm count are:
Male infertility due to low sperm count is a fairly common problem. Oligospermia may decrease your probability to impregnate your partner; nevertheless a normal pregnancy is still possible if adequate measures are adopted. A lot can be done if you or your partner has low sperm count. Few helpful strategies include:
Do not let your low sperm count to alter the quality of your life. See a qualified healthcare professional to learn the core cause and most practical solution to your reproductive issues. In addition, you can also get benefitted from a variety of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) to manage your fertility problems.
1. Sharpe, R. M. (2012). Sperm counts and fertility in men: a rocky road ahead. EMBO reports, 13(5), 398-403.
2. Eisenberg, M. L., Kim, S., Chen, Z., Sundaram, R., Schisterman, E. F., & Louis, G. M. B. (2014). The relationship between male BMI and waist circumference on semen quality: data from the LIFE study. Human Reproduction, 29(2), 193-200.
3. Martenies, S. E., & Perry, M. J. (2013). Environmental and occupational pesticide exposure and human sperm parameters: a systematic review. Toxicology, 307, 66-73.
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