Oligospermia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

According to researchers, an estimated 180 million couples throughout the world are dealing with infertility and oligospermia is the most common issue faced by men. Oligospermia is a term in which a person has a low sperm count. Well, a typical sperm count is more than 15 million sperm per 1 milliliter of sperm and as per WHO, there are three types of oligospermia.

One is mild oligospermia which means sperm count is between 10 to 15 million sperm/mL whereas moderate oligospermia means sperm count lies between 5 to 10 million sperm/mL. Severe oligospermia means sperm count is between 0 to 5 million sperm/mL. This condition is also known as oligozoospermia. Now, Let’s find out the causes, symptoms, and treatment of oligospermia.

Explore the Causes of Oligospermia

Oligospermia is due to undescended testicles, hormonal imbalance, blockages in tubes, environmental toxins, heat, and excessive use of any specific drugs or medicine and sometimes its genetical. Let’s understand each of these causes in brief.

• Ejaculatory Problems - when a man is not able to ejaculate semen during sexual activity or masturbation, it will lead to very low volume of semen and hence oligospermia. This condition can be of different types like Premature ejaculation, Delayed ejaculation, Retrograde ejaculation, and Anejaculation. All these conditions can be responsible for oligospermia and impact fertility in men.


• Chromosomal Abnormalities - genetic disorders like Klinefelter syndrome, and Kartagener syndrome can cause abnormal development of male reproductive organs which eventually leads to Oligospermia or majorly nil sperm count.


• Hormonal imbalance - Your hormones play an important role in maintaining reproductive health. When hormones required for sperm production are not released accurately then it causes oligospermia. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and testicles produce hormones that are necessary for the production of sperm but alteration in these hormones may decrease sperm production.


• Undescended Testicles - This means when testicles are not in their usual place in the scrotum. When either of the testicles do not descend from the abdomen into the sac then the fertility of that person gets affected, and he might face oligospermia.


• Exposure to chemicals - If you are facing exposure to chemicals or raditions then it can be responsible for lower sperm production.


• Varicocele - Enlarged veins in a man’s scrotum can also distrupt blood flow to the testicles and can cause the temperature in the testicles to increase. This increase in temperature can negatively impact sperm production.



• Defects in tubules transport sperm - The vas deferens that carry sperm but are blocked by abnormal development of cysts then you face oligospermia. Well, blockage can also take place in the vas deferens, near ejaculatory ducts.


• Drug Abuse/Alcohol/Smoking - Due to excessive dosage of certain any drugs, smoking, alcohol you may face lower sperm production.

If you are experiencing oligospermia you should consult with a Male infertility doctor in Lucknow for a personalized treatment plan. The Male infertility doctor will conduct a thorough evaluation and identify potential causes of oligospermia.

Understand the Symptoms of Oligospermia

Some of the men may not face any symptoms of oligospermia and they might find out about this condition when they face difficulty in conceiving a baby. Men who have oligospermia due to hormonal imbalance, chromosomal abnormalities, or blockage in tubules then they might experience consequences such as swelling, pain, inability to maintain an erection during sexual intercourse, less facial and body hair growth, swollen veins in the scrotum, or burning sensation while urinating.

How Oligospermia can be Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of oligospermia is semen analysis, scrotal ultrasound, hormone testing, post-ejaculation urine analysis, anti-sperm antibody test, genetic test, testicular biopsy, and specialized sperm function tests are performed.

What are the Treatments for Oligospermia?

There are many ways to treat oligospermia and it depends on the cause of this condition. Male infertility specialists may advise for proper medications and hormone treatments. Maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding drinking alcohol or excessive smoking can improve sperm production to some extent. You may need surgery to treat a varicocele or blocked sperm ducts. If you are trying to conceive then you can take the help of the Best IVF Centre in Lucknow or another assisted reproductive technology suggested by your fertility specialist.

Conclusion

Oligospermia is caused by various reasons like genetic issues, hormonal disorders, defects in reproductive organs, and more. It is necessary to identify the cause behind your infertility and then undergo the right treatment. Leading a healthy life, avoiding stress, and following the right medications advised by your male infertility specialist can also help in improving sperm production.