Oligospermia
A low sperm count is also called oligospermia. Having a low sperm count
decreases the odds that one of your sperm will fertilize your partner's egg,
resulting in pregnancy. Your sperm count is considered lower than normal, if
you have fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen. Nonetheless, many
men who have a low sperm count are still able to father a child.
Oligospermia is diagnosed through a semen analysis, which measures a semen
sample to identify sperm count, motility (movement), and morphology (shape).
Asthenozoospermia / Asthenosprmia
Asthenozoospermia is an infertility condition where a man produces sperm with
reduced motility. Motility is a sperm's ability to move straight forward,
quickly and is an important factor in natural conception. A reduction of
motility decreases the likelihood of sperm successfully swimming up the female
reproductive tract in order to fertilize an ovulated egg.
Asthenozoospermia tends to occur in men with kidney disease, cystic fibrosis,
and other genetic mutations. Although there is not treatment for this
condition, men with asthenozoospermia may still conceive children via an
assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as In vitro fertilization (IVF).
Teratospermia
Teratospermia is a condition of male infertility caused by an abnormality in
the structure of the male sperm. The abnormality, referred to as a morphology,
may lie in the shape of the sperm head or with the motility of the tail.
Regardless, the abnormality prevents the fertilization of the egg and is a
common diagnosis of male infertility.
Genetic abnormalities are the most common causes of teratospermia.
Azoospermia
A complete absence of sperm is called azoospermia. The problem is either
present at birth or develops later in life, and is sometimes referred to as "no
sperm count." This is a major cause of male infertility, when a man’s ejaculate
(semen) has no measurable sperm. Azoospermia is found in five to 10 percent of
men evaluated for infertility. The condition may be present at birth or may
develop later in life.
There are two types of azoospermia.
• Obstructive azoospermia:
Sperm is being produced; however it is blocked from
being expelled.
• Nonobstructive azoospermia:
Sperm is not being produced.
Causes of obstructive azoospermia depend on the location and type of blockage.
In some men, these passages may be missing altogether, blocked by the presence
of tissue, build up, or scar tissue from previous injuries, infections, or
procedures (such as a past vasectomy).
