A male factor is solely responsible in approximately 20% of infertile couples. According to WHO 2010, parameters for male subfertility are a sperm concentration less than 15 million sperm/ml, progressive sperm motility less than 32%, and normal sperm morphology less than 4%.So, if the results of the first semen test are abnormal, the test should be repeated.
What causes a low sperm count?
There are several genetic and non-genetic conditions including a hormone imbalance ,a inherited genetic or structural problem, genital infections, previous surgery, varicocele, certain medication, long- term anabolic steroid use, cancer medications, etc.
What are the treatment options available for low sperm count?
The treatment of male infertility depends upon the underlying cause.
Evidence suggests that a man who smokes typically reduces his sperm count, and that is reversible if he quits smoking.
Blockage of the reproductive tract — Men can undergo surgery to correct the blockage. If it is not successful, another option is assisted reproductive technologies using sperm retrieved from the testes.
Gonadotropin treatment- If you have low levels of gonadotrophin hormones you should be offered treatment with gonadotrophin drugs to improve your fertility.
Varicocele – It can be treated surgically. An alternative to varicocele repair is assisted reproductive techniques (ART),such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) where few sperm are needed.
Severely low counts and/or motility: IVF/ICSI is the best option.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): With ICSI, a single sperm from the male partner is injected directly into a woman’s egg (oocyte).
Testicular extraction of sperm (TESE) — If a man’s semen completely lacks sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia), sperm can sometimes be directly removed from the testes. Azoospermia (nil sperm count) with no retrievable sperm may need donor sperm.
At Akanksha IVF centre, we are performing approximately 600-700 IVF/ICSI cycles every year and our success rate is around 40-45%.