Did you know that nearly 30% of infertility issues are due to male infertility? And in another 30% of cases it’s attributed to both male and female infertility. It can be an eye-opener for many who are trying to conceive and even fewer are probably familiar with the term azoospermia.
Azoospermia is the absence of sperm in the ejaculate. The semen analysis is part of the evaluation for assessing male-factor infertility. In the past, men were considered sterile when the semen analysis showed azoospermia.
It’s important to have a better understanding of the causes of azoospermia:
• Lack of sperm in the ejaculate due to a blockage (with normal sperm production) is known as obstructive azoospermia. This can be due to a vasectomy or a congenital anomaly.
• Lack of sperm in the ejaculate due to low sperm production (without any obstruction) or due to a problem with the transport of sperm in conditions affecting the nerves (such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis) is known as non-obstructive azoospermia.
Treatment for azoospermia:
The physician can use different methods for extracting sperm even when there are no sperm in the ejaculate. Sperm can often be harvested and used to achieve fertilization.
obstructive azoospermia – normal sperm production- microsurgical reconstruction to repair the blockage and allow for the return of sperm to the ejaculate. Or, sperm can be obtained by a tiny needle aspiration with local anesthesia or sedation. Depending on the location of the needle aspiration the procedure is known as a TESA (testicular sperm aspiration) or PESA (percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration). Sperm is retrieved in a majority of these cases.
non-obstructive azoospermia – low production of sperm- sperm may be found in areas of the testicles. Finding these functioning areas can be difficult because they are often limited in number and are not in the same location in different testes. The older procedure is known as a testicular biopsy. It required biopsies of multiple areas of the testicles and is known as TESE (testicular sperm extraction). A newer procedure called micro-TESE (microdissection testicular sperm extraction) involves using a microscope to identify areas that are producing sperm and are removed. Sperm is retrieved in some of these cases.
The good news….an azoospermia diagnosis does not necessarily mean that the man will never have a biological child. It’s important that a complete workup be completed so that a diagnosis can be made and all options can be explained to the patient.
Conceiveonline.com has a special section on Male Fertility this month with a great article on the Top 10 Myths About Men & Fertility. Check it out!
3 Comments
I love this blog about male infertility: http://infertility-and-me.com/the-diary
So refreshing to have the guy perspective!
So is azoospermia what we call “Shooting Blanks”? can we have a little street translation here please?
Thanks for the comment Himi. I know a lot of the information around infertility is fairly technical but understanding the details of each condition is important so you know where you stand with your own personal diagnosis. And while you’re unlikely to see common lingo here on our blog (we are corporate after all) we will certainly try to “translate” as much of the medical information we can for you.