What is azoospermia?
- Men with no sperm in their semen have a condition called azoospermia.
- The average man has 100–300 million sperm in his semen, but if there is no sperm, it can be difficult for couples to get pregnant.
- Couples are considered infertile after about a year of trying to conceive with unprotected sex.
- Crossing the invisible line into the infertility world can be overwhelming and intimidating.
- Some 12 to 13 in 100 couples experience infertility.
- Up to 50 percent of these cases can be attributed to what’s called male-factor infertility.
- Azoospermia is a possible cause, which is marked by a total lack of sperm in the semen.
- While rare, about 1 percent of men have azoospermia, and it’s the root of between 10 to 15 percent of infertility cases.
Types of Azoospermia
- Obstructive Azoospermia
- In obstructive azoospermia, a man’s testes produce enough sperm, but there is a plumbing problem that prevents the sperm from traveling out of the testes and entering the ejaculate in the urethra/penis.
Causes
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Vasectomy
- Surgical complications
- Ejaculatory Duct Obstruction
- Non-obstructive Azoospermia
- Non-obstructive azoospermia is a set of disorders that cause a man to produce abnormal sperm.
- All of these disorders either decrease production or cause no sperm production at all.
Causes
Non-obstructive azoospermia can be subdivided into pretesticular and testicular causes.
Causes of pretesticular non-obstructive azoospermia include:
- Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism—This is a problem with the pituitary gland where it doesn’t make the hormones needed to create sperm or testosterone.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Use of certain medications.
- Elevated estradiol.
- Kallman’s syndrome.
- Certain rare types of pituitary tumors.
- These conditions can usually be treated through medications you take by mouth or by injection.
Causes of testicular non-obstructive azoospermia are
- Varicoceles
- Testicular cancer
- Gonadotoxins, such as radiations, chemotherapy etc.
- Immunological causes
- Klinefelters
- Sertoli-cell only syndrome
Treatment
- Obstructive azoospermia can be treated through:
- Vasectomy Reversal
- Circumcision
- Microsurgical Testicular Sperm Extraction (microTESE)
- Surgical Corrections for Scarring
Non-obstructive azoospermia can be treated through:
- Micro TESE
- Drugs and medication
Preventions
- Stay away from any activities, like rough contact sports, that may harm your testes and reproductive tract.
- Limit your exposure to radiation.
- Speak with your doctor about the benefits and risks of medications that may impact sperm production.
- Avoid activities that may expose your testes to high temperatures, like saunas or steam baths.