Healthy Sperm Count! What if low? All you need to know – Health and Glow

What should be the sperm count

If you have less than 15 million sperm in one milliliter of semen, then your sperm count is less than normal. Tests are available to count sperm.

Symptoms of low sperm count

The most prominent symptom of sperm deficiency is that the person is unable to have children.

No other obvious signs or symptoms of this problem appear. In some cases, hereditary imbalances in hormones, enlarged testicular veins and similar conditions that obstruct the passage of sperm can cause such symptoms.

Symptoms of sperm deficiency may include

Problems of sexual activity – loss of libido or difficulty in maintaining erect penis (erectile dysfunction or impotence)
Pain, swelling or lumps in the testes area
Reduced facial or body hair or other signs of chromosome or hormone abnormality
It is necessary to see a doctor in these situations

Contact your doctor if

If you are unable to conceive your sex partner even after a year of regular and without condom intercourse.
Problems associated with sexual activity, such as – penis hardening, ejaculation problems, sexual interest events or other sexual activity problems. (Read more – Premature Ejaculation)
Pain, discomfort in the testicular area, lumps or swelling.
A history of testicular, prostate or sexual problems may have preceded testicular, prostate or sexual problems.
Surgery of the groin (part of the abdomen and thigh), testis, penis or scrotum has been done.

Prevention of sperm deficiency

The following factors can affect sperm count and quality, so stay away from them.

Do not smoke
Drink limited amounts of alcohol or stop it altogether
Abstain from drugs
Talk to your doctor about drugs that may affect sperm production.
Lose weight
Avoid heat
Stay away from stress
Avoid exposure to pesticides, heavy metals and other toxins

How can sperm deficiency be diagnosed?

If you are proving unable to conceive your sexual partner, contact a doctor. The doctor will try to find out the root cause of it. If they feel that the cause of your problem is a lack of sperm, both you and your partner may need to undergo a test. Testing and diagnosis may include the following –

1. General physical examination and medical history

This includes examining your genitals and questions about any hereditary condition, chronic health problems, diseases, injuries, or surgeries that may affect fertility. Doctors can also ask about your sexual habits and sexual development.

2. Semen Analysis

Diagnosis of sperm deficiency is a part of the “semen analysis test”. The sperm count is usually done by microscope. In some cases, a computer can be used to measure sperm count. The sperm count is often fluctuating. So in most cases, this test is done several times to get an accurate result.

New sperm are produced continuously in the testes and it takes about 40 to 76 days to mature. This has two consequences:

A recent semen analysis shows the condition of your last 2.5 months, not today’s health status.
The results of any positive changes you have made today to increase sperm count will not be visible to you for 2-3 months.
One of the most common reasons for sperm deficiency in the test is not taking the sperm sample properly. Because of this, your doctor will examine two or more samples of semen.

3. Other tests

Based on the initial findings, your doctor may ask for some other tests to find out the possible reasons. These include –

Scrotal ultrasound
Transrectal ultrasound test (Transrectal ultrasound; to inspect the prostate and surrounding tissue)
Hormone test
Post-ejaculation urinalysis
Genetic testing
Testicular biopsy (sampling one or both testicular tissue)
Spermic antibody test
Special function test of sperm

How can sperm deficiency be treated?

Surgery – Inflammation of the veins originating from the testis can be corrected by surgery or if there is a blockage in a sperm vasculature (vas deferens tube), it can also be corrected by surgery.
Infection treatment – Antibiotics can treat infections in the reproductive organs, but these drugs may be unable to increase fertility.
Hormone treatment and medicines – “Hormone replacement” (changing hormones) or certain drugs can be used to change hormone levels. Its effects can be seen in your semen analysis after three to six months.
Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) – The treatment of ART involves the collection of sperm ejected by normal ejaculation, by surgery, or given by a donor. This sperm is then inserted into the female’s genitalia or used for in vitro fertilization (IVF; IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

What to do if treatment does not work

Sometimes a man’s fertility problems cannot be treated and it is impossible for him to become a father. In such a situation you and your partner can either use the sperm given by a donor or adopt a child.

Sperm boost medicine – Medication to increase sperm count
Is there any medicine available to increase sperm count?

There is no medicine available that increases sperm count by eating it.

Nevertheless, some doctors suggest antioxidants, herbal medicines and vitamin pills under “empiric treatment” (an undetectable treatment). However, there is no scientific evidence that this treatment will increase sperm count. If sperm count increases during this treatment, it may be due to many other reasons rather than medication. Sperm count fluctuates depending on lifestyle, but the increase in sperm count for a short period of time does not mean that the problem is fixed.

Men should remember that high sperm count is not as important as whether sperm are capable of conceiving.

Effective treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilization) or ICSI (intracastoplasmic sperm injection) can be performed instead of using the above non-standard drugs.