Oligospermia is also known as a low sperm count or oligozoospermia. In oligozoospermia there are fewer sperm cells in the ejaculate than normal. Oligospermia is generally defined as less than 20 million spermatozoa per one ml of ejaculate. Oligospermia is one of the main causes of male infertility or sub-fertility. Sub-fertility is a reduced ability to achieve a pregnancy while infertility is defined as the complete inability to produce a pregnancy after about one year of unprotected sexual activity.
Causes of Oligospermia:
Many infertile men are obsessed about their low sperm count - and this seems to become the central concern in their lives. Remember that the real question the man with a fertility problem is asking is not: What is my sperm count or what is my motility ? But - are my sperm capable of working or not? Can I have a baby with my sperm? Since the function of the sperm is to fertilize the egg, the only direct way of answering this question is by actually doing IVF for test fertilization. This is, of course, too expensive and impractical for most people which is why the other sperm function tests have been devised.
The major problem with all these tests, however, is that they are all indirect --- there is no very good correlation between test results, pregnancy rates, and fertilization in vitro for the individual patient. This is why offering a prognosis for the individual patient based on an abnormality in the sperm test result is so difficult, and why we find that different doctors give such widely varying interpretations based on the same sperm report.
This is really not surprising when you consider how abysmal our ignorance in this area is - after all, we do not even know what a "normal" sperm count is! Since you only need one "good" sperm to fertilise an egg, we do not have a simple answer to even this very basic question! While the lower limit of normal is considered to be 10 million progressively motile sperm per ml, remember that this is a statistical average.
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For example, most doctors have had the experience of a man with a very low sperm count (as little as 2-5 million per ml) fathering a pregnancy on his own, with no treatment. In fact, when sperm counts are done for men who are undergoing a vasectomy for family planning, these men of proven fertility have sperm counts varying anywhere from 2 million to 300 million per ml. This obviously means that there is a significant variation in "fertile" sperm counts, and therefore coming to conclusions is very difficult for the doctor (leave alone the patient!)
Treatments for Oligospermia:
The first step in the treatment of oligospermia is prevention. Prevention of oligospermia includes preventing sexually transmitted diseases. This includes abstaining from sexual activity or having sex only within a mutually monogamous relationship in which neither partner is infected with oligospermia. Latex condoms also provide some protection from some sexually transmitted diseases when used properly.
Preventive measures include seeking regular medical care throughout the lifetime. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to best evaluate the risks of and test for sexually transmitted diseases, which can result in oligospermia. These measures greatly increase the chances of catching and treating these diseases in their earliest stages before oligospermia and other serious complications occur.
Prevention also includes not smoking, not drinking alcohol or caffeine excessively and not using recreational drugs, which can all lower sperm counts. It is also important not expose the testicles to high temperatures, such as from hot tubs, which can reduce the production of sperm.
Treatment is directed toward the specific cause of oligospermia. Treatment may include improving the diet, losing or gaining weight as needed, not smoking, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, and avoiding hot tubs, tight underwear, and other factors that may create excessive heat around the testicles and reduce sperm count. Medications that may be used include fertility drugs, vitamin E, vitamin C, antioxidants and hormone therapy.
Treatment for oligospermia caused by chlamydia or gonorrhea includes oral antibiotic medication. Surgery may be needed if the cause is a varicocele or if scarring is causing a blockage of the flow of sperm. Also read about Increase the Sexual Desire Prameha and Male Impotence or read more on babaramdevmedicines.com
