Oligospermia: Do you have low sperm count?
Oligospermia is a male fertility issue which is signalized by low sperm count. Low sperm count is often a reason behind male infertility. It particularly means that when you ejaculate the semen during orgasm, that fluid carries lower sperm than normal. When there is complete absence of sperm in semen then it is known as azoospermia.
If you are facing this problem, then it will decrease the probability of getting pregnant. A healthy sperm is required when you and your partner are trying to get pregnant. Ideal Sperm count as per World Health Organization is 15 million per ml of semen. if you have lower than this, then it will be considered as oligospermia. i.e., lower concentration of sperm in semen.
Causes of Oligospermia:
Well, there are several causes of infertility, among them oligospermia is the most common. Several factors are there which contributes to oligospermia. Let’s have a look!
Varicoceles: swelling in the veins on the man’s scrotum which slows down or stops the blood flow in the testicles. This increases the temperature in the testicles and result into low sperm count
Retrograde ejaculation: some men suffer from oligospermia because of ejaculation problem. It is a condition where semen goes backward in the bladder instead of coming out of the penis. It mostly happens because of certain health problems like spine problem, diabetes, injuries, tumors, cancers etc.
Infection: when virus enters the body through sexually transmitted diseases that later result influence the sperm production in an adverse way.
Medications: excess consumption of medicines like antibiotics, blood pressure, Anti hypertensive then it directly affects the production of the sperm.
Hormonal Balance: ejaculation requires hormonal balance so low testosterone and high prolactin levels are found with ejaculation disorder
Genetic condition: deletion of the Y chromosomes or altered chromosome can also cause oligospermia
Chronic Stress: Mental health is as important as the physical health. When you are stressed for long time, it impacts on hormone level which can directly cause oligospermia.
Addiction: consumption of alcohol, smoking, drugs, caffeine, affects the production of sperm.
Exposure to heat, radiations, metals & chemicals: Excess exposure to chemicals, metals, radiations and taking frequent hot baths which overheat the testicle and cause oligospermia.
Lifestyle choice: at present, this is the most common factor because people choose sedentary lifestyle where they lack in physical exercise which gets down to obesity and that creates an adverse impact on the production of sperm.
Treatments for oligospermia:
Surgery: doctor will close down or cut off the vein connected to the varicoceles through a minor surgery and redirect the blood flow into another vein.
Medication: doctor will prescribe some treatments to boost the sperm production. It may not boost sperm count sometimes but will prevent the greater sperm count.
Hormone treatment: Numerous Vitamins, injection, medications, to elevate the hormone level.
Life style changes: Changes in lifestyle like switch to the healthy food, quit smoking, avoid drugs and alcohol, avoid consumption of caffeine, reduce intake of medicines, regular physical workout, yoga, destress therapies, steer clear of high temperature, will help to overcome oligospermia.
Assisted reproductive techniques: If you and your partner want to get pregnant then, you can conceive through various fertility treatments such as IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), Surrogacy and many more.
At Sneh Hospital, our fertility specialists provide infertility counselling, if you have any doubt, you will be enlightened with details straightaway. Along with this, they will guide you to take the further step. If you are facing any problems regarding infertility, connect with us!