Low Sperm Count: Causes, Signs, & Treatment
Dropping of the sperm levels present in the semen ejaculated is termed as low sperm count. It is also known as Oligospermia and is, on most occasions, associated with abnormalities in other sperm parameters like low sperm motility (Asthenospermia) and abnormal sperm morphology (Teratospermia).
Low sperm count is not that uncommon a phenomenon in India with 15% of the total male population suffering from it. In fact, this along with low sperm motility are a very common cause for male infertility and accounts for about 40-50% of total male infertility cases in the nation.
This is an asymptomatic medical condition and diagnosed only when a couple comes in for fertility evaluation.
What are the causes of low sperm count?
There are a number of reasons which contribute to the decrease in sperm count. These are:
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Obesity
- Tobacco use
- Testicular trauma/injury
- Stress
- Varicocele
- Hydrocele
- Undescended testes
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Sexually transmitted infection
- Febrile illness and viral infections like Mumps
- Chronic illness like Diabetes Mellitus
- Previous radiation exposure for pelvic tumors/chemotherapy
The condition can be managed with hormonal medications, antioxidants, multivitamins or micronutrients as prescribed by the doctor. In some cases, like Varicocele repair, surgical treatment is preferred.
Some lifestyle modifications also in betterment of the condition. These include:
- Regular exercise
- Avoiding tight undergarments
- Following healthy diet regimen
- Weight reduction
- Avoiding smoking, alcohol, gutka, habit-forming drugs
- Managing medical disorders like Diabetes Mellitus
- Avoiding tight undergarments
Treatment route is decided after taking into consideration the count, motility and morphology of sperms. When these parameters are marginally low, simple treatment options like Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) are found to be helpful. In extremely low parameter count, advanced treatment option like ICSI is opted for. While IMSI and PICSI are used for selection of morphologically normal sperms during ICSI.
Sperm production and maturation in the testes i.e., Spermatogenesis takes about 72 days. Hence, two to three months of medication is required to see the improvement in semen analysis report. If there is no improvement even after administration of medication, ICSI treatment option is chosen to achieve pregnancy. In these cases, the success rate is around 50-60% when other parameters are normal.
If a male follows a healthy diet, exercises regularly, refrains from smoking, alcohol, gutka and habit-forming drugs along with avoiding use of tight undergarments and reducing weight, the whole problem can be avoided to begin with.
