Low sperm count is medically referred to as “oligozoospermia”. Oligozoospermia is when a man’s sperm count drops below the threshold of 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen. The average sperm count in a man, however, is considered to be around 75 million per Millilitre of semen.
The average man has a sperm count of 75 million per Millilitre of semen. If you are wondering why your female partner is having trouble getting pregnant, it is important to understand that both the quality and quantity of sperm are responsible for a healthy conception.
According to a recent report presented by the WHO on infertility in India, around 50% of infertility prevalence is due to “male infertility”. The statistics were revealed in a recent study conducted by the Doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as they have reported that while the sperm count of a normal Indian adult male which stood at around 60 million per Millilitre of semen, now stands at around 20 million/ sperm per millilitre of semen.
Low sperm count is a problem that is faced by a lot of men in India, keep reading on to know more.
Regardless of the severity of the reproductive health problems, you should be content to know that there are treatments to treat low sperm counts. Before diving deep into the treatment of low sperm count, it is important to understand what causes low sperm count.
Causes of low sperm count: –
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Taking certain medications
Anabolic steroid use, chemo, certain antifungal and antibiotic medications can cause male infertility by lowering sperm production
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Smoking
Tobacco can cause decreased sperm motility, a low number of normally shaped sperm, and increased sperm DNA damage.
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Consumption of alcohol
Alcohol can alter the sperm count, how they swim (motility rate), their shape, size etc. which is not good for your reproductive health especially when you are planning conception.
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Injury in or around the testicular area
Any previous injury around the genitals may cause blockage and stop sperm production or it may cause you to produce a lesser number of sperm
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Any long-term sickness
Kidney failure, childhood infections, or hormone problems can have long term effects on your body and especially in the case of male fertility and low sperm count.
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Hormone Imbalance
Hormone imbalance can lead to lower sperm count, as the pituitary glands which are responsible for producing testosterone may stop functioning well.
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Vasectomy
Vasectomy is a surgical procedure that is usually performed to prevent pregnancy by blocking the sperm from getting to the semen when a man ejaculates. Gradually your sperm count decreases, you are able to ejaculate but the sperm quality will be below average thereby affecting sperm counts.
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Sexually transmitted diseases
STD or any other similar infection can cause scarring or partially block the passage of sperm.
STD is a condition which is also called STI (sexually transmitted infection) this disease can be caught through sexual contact or intimate contact and if one has STD then there aren’t many things that you can do to cure it but there are a lot of ways to fight its symptoms.
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Undescended testicles
If your testicles stay in high temperatures for a long time then the sperm quality and the sperm count would witness a significant decline.
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Immunologic Infertility
Sometimes Antibodies attack the sperm. These antibodies are usually made in case of injury, disease or surgery, basically, anything that has caused harm to the body. It doesn’t cause infertility but it makes it difficult for sperm to swim.
And a lot of doctors have said that masturbating on a daily basis doesn’t drop your sperm quality.
Ways to increase sperm count?
You can revitalize your fertility and improve the quality and quantity of sperm by making certain lifestyle changes.
- Refrain from drugs and smoking
- Try using boxers over briefs
- Don’t exercise with tight-fitting clothes
- Control your alcohol consumption
- Try to eat healthier and maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Stop taking stress, high stress environments lower your testosterone levels
- Avoid staying in places with high toxicity levels like pollution
- Your testicles grow outside your body as a natural way of staying at a cooler temperature than your normal body temperature
- If none of these work, consult a fertility doctor. A fertility specialist could suggest you take some hormone treatments or medications depending on your case.
Whatever happens, don’t stress over it and give it time and trust the process.
Low sperm count treatment options
If you want to be a parent and enjoy the liveliness a little one brings home then with early diagnosis and timely treatment, it is possible. For a successful conception, the sperm must travel to the egg and fertilise it. Following are some effective fertility treatments that one can opt for in order to deal with fertility-related issues like low sperm count, etc.
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IVF
IVF is one of the most popular fertility treatments that are available today. In-Vitro Fertilization is an ART(assisted reproduction technology) solution that is used to help couples facing issues with their dream of attaining parenthood.
During an IVF treatment, the egg and the sperm are fertilized in a specialized IVF lab and form an embryo under lab conditions in a Petri dish which is why it is called “In-Vitro”. If you are looking for the best IVF in Kolkata contact Crysta IVF for the best fertility treatment.
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ICSI
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is mainly used in cases when your partner has a low sperm count. And that is about under 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen.
In other cases where you might have conditions like poor morphology or poor motility. In cases related to abnormal sperm analysis, sperm samples are collected and are introduced to a mature egg. There is one fertility centre named Crysta IVF with ICSI that can easily aid you with this process. They give free counselling to couples facing infertility issues.
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Keep trying
Maybe it’s all in your head and sometimes that’s the case with most men.
Not taking any stress and not accepting things the way they are shows how much you want something. Try to conceive every 2-3 days is what we would recommend. And you go try for 6 months to a year without birth control before visiting a doctor.
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Using a Donor
Here we are referring to using the sperm from a donor, this is called donor insemination. Egg or sperm donors are usually available with a centre for IVF or any other ART treatment; you have the option of choosing from multiple profiles.
Using a donor can easily be a way to get your IVF treatment done and can be seen as a replacement for the process of ICSI.
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Surgery
This is a very rare way to treat infertility issues. The tubes from your testicles may be blocked although this is a rare case. Removing the blockage in your tubes surgically is a treatment for that.
Low sperm count can be dealt with! If you are experiencing such a problem and would like to know more about it. You can consult the doctors at Crysta IVF. With the right treatment advice, you can fulfil your dreams of becoming parents. Yes, slow sperm count is a problem but there are many solutions to treat this.
