Oligospermia - what is it? Oligospermia - Symptoms and Treatment

One of the main causes of male infertility is a disease such as oligospermia. What is it, for what reasons does it arise, and what are the specific features of treating this ailment? Oligospermia is a male disease characterized by a low content of spermatozoa (no more than 20 million), at which the process of fertilization of the egg is impossible.

Causes of the disease

There are many different causes that contribute to the appearance of oligospermia. The most common of them include:

1. Physical and emotional stress, under the influence of which there is a failure of hormones in the male body, which subsequently will certainly affect the quality of the sperm.
2. Overheating. Partly affect the decline in the number of sperm cells are capable of taking hot baths, visiting the sauna, tight, tight underwear.
3. Varicocelle (veins widening around the testicles and spermatic cord).
4. Negative effects of various environmental and external factors, such as radiation, chemicals, drugs, alcohol.
5. Age. Most often, oligospermia is diagnosed in men over the age of 40 years.
6. Diseases of male genital organs, as well as serious injuries.
7. Diseases that provoke hormonal disorders. The most common of these is hypogonadism, which significantly reduces the production of testosterone.
8. Bacterial and infectious sexual diseases. So, gonorrhea or chlamydia break the process of passage through the flow of sperm, and bacterial diseases provoke the onset of the inflammatory process in the testicles.

In case the cause of the disease was not identified, a diagnosis is made of "idiopathic oligospermia".

Symptomatics

So, oligospermia - what is it, we found out, but how to recognize this ailment? It is interesting that the disease itself does not cause the patient any discomfort and does not interfere with normal sexual life. To push the idea of the presence of this disease can only the inability to conceive a baby with regular sex without the use of contraception. The very same diagnosis is made after the patient undergoes a thorough examination.

Diagnosis of the disease

To establish the presence of oligospermia, the only way is to study the spermogram, by means of which it is possible to examine the sperm counts and to reveal a reduced amount of spermatozoa.

With the normal functioning of the male genitourinary system, 1 ml of seminal fluid should account for more than 25 million spermatozoa. Otherwise, there is a decrease in the number of germ cells. According to the WHO criteria developed, there are 3 degrees of oligospermia:

1. The first degree is diagnosed if more than 15 million spermatozoa are contained in 1 ml of fluid;
2. A low level of spermatozoa or oligospermia of the 2nd degree takes place when there are less than 10 million spermatozoa per ml;
3. Critically low level, oligospermia of the 3rd degree - less than 5 million spermatozoa were found in 1 ml of fluid.

Forecast

The main question that patients with oligospermia are asking doctors is: "Is it possible to cure this disease or are all methods unsuccessful?" Experts confidently assert that it is possible to get rid of the disease, but this is a rather lengthy process associated with taking medications, control tests, Procedures, the need to follow recommendations on nutrition, lifestyle and conjugal intimacy.

Oligospermia: treatment with medicines

Most patients, after diagnosing their oligospermia, are determined to cure this ailment with the help of medications. However, it must be understood that the effectiveness of drug treatment is not always achieved, since drugs do not always affect the disease.

In the treatment of a disease such as oligospermia, drugs are prescribed in cases when the appearance of the disease is associated with bacterial or viral diseases. The most commonly used drugs are:

• Drug "Clomifene" or "Clomid", blocking the production of estrogen;
• Means "Proxide" - active-biological supplement;
• Preparations of the testosterone group (cypionate, testosterone, enanthate propionate);
• Vitamins and antioxidants;
• Preparations of homeopathic composition.

Oligospermia: a surgical method of treatment

If conservative treatment was unsuccessful, other methods come to the rescue. Almost 40% of patients who know firsthand about oligospermia - what it is, the occurrence of the disease is associated with varicocele - varicose veins in the spermatic cord.

An increase in the number of spermatozoa in the sperm after a well-performed operation is observed in approximately 30% of cases, while the success rate of conception is 15%.

One of the most effective surgical methods for treating oligospermia is an operation called vasoepididemoanastomosis. The reason for its implementation is a direct link between the reduction in the number of spermatozoa and the existing diseases of the epididymis. The essence of the operation is to remove the zone of the vas deferens and then implant it into the ducts of the epididymis.

Reproductive methods of treatment

In modern times, a lot of methods have been developed, thanks to which you can conceive a child. Reproductive assistive technologies help patients with a variety of diseases (including oligospermia), directly related to the difficulties of fertilization.

With a disease such as oligospermia, treatment can be performed using the following methods:

• ICSI, in which the sperm is inserted into the egg;
• Insemination, characterized by artificial penetration of spermatozoa into the uterine cavity;
• In vitro fertilization (IVF).

With oligospermia of the 1st degree, it is advisable to begin treatment with intrauterine injections of spermatozoa. However, if four attempts were found to be inconclusive, then IVF or ICSI should be used. In the diagnosis of oligospermia, treatment, drugs or surgical procedures should only be prescribed by a specialist. Self-medication in this case is simply impossible.

Oligospermia - what it is and what it is dangerous, every man should know, so at the first suspicions it is worth to visit a doctor, undergo a checkup and, if necessary, begin treatment.