Men’s Health Week: Azoospermia types, causes, tips to improve male fertility or treat low sperm count

Ahead of Men’s Health Week 2022, doctors reveal all you need to know about Azoospermia - its types, causes and prevention tips so as to not affect male fertility

Azoospermia is a medical condition in which there is no measurable sperm in a man’s ejaculate (semen) which can cause infertility in males and the health issue affects about 10% infertile men. In simpler words, it is a rare incident in which the ejaculate contains no sperm and happens in around 1 per cent of men but it’s the root cause of almost 10 to 15 percent of infertility cases.

Men’s Health Week: Azoospermia types, causes, tips to improve male fertility or treat low sperm count (Yan Krukov)

Types of Azoospermia:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle ahead of Men's Health Week 2022, Dr Souren Bhattacharjee, Consultant at Birla Fertility & IVF, revealed that Azoospermia can be of 2 kinds - obstructive and non-obstructive. He said, “Obstructive Azoospermia is when there is a blockage or missing connection in the epididymis, hormonal problems, ejaculation problems or issues with testicular structure and function along your reproductive tract. While on the other hand, non-obstructive Azoospermia is when you have poor or no sperm production due to defects in the structure or function of the testicles.”

Causes of Azoospermia:

According to Dr Shafiq Ahmed, Consultant Urologist at HCMCT Manipal Hospital in Delhi's Dwarka, “There are numerous causes of this condition, including genetic conditions like Klinefelter's syndrome and other medical treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. Apart from that, anatomical abnormalities like varicoceles or the absence of the vas deferens on both sides can also trigger this condition. Moreover, a vasectomy also prevents sperm from joining other fluids in the ejaculate.” 

He listed the obstructive conditions as:

• Genetic conditions

• Any kind of infection in the prostate or testicles

• Spine surgery or any surgery in the pelvis, sex organ, or lower abdomen may affect sperm production or cause obstruction in sperm production

Non-obstructive azoospermia is caused due to:

• Antibiotics and steroids used during the treatment of cancer

• Smoking, drinking alcohol may also cause a problem in sperm production by hampering the hormones inside the body

• Chemotherapy or any other radiation therapy to treat cancer

• Semen travels into the bladder rather than outside the body

Adding to the list of causes of Azoospermia, Dr Souren Bhattacharjee shared:

1. A blockage in the genitals, also known as "obstructive azoospermia"

2. An infection within the male reproductive system

3. Injury to the genitals

4. Effects from surgery to the male reproductive system - including effects from radiation and chemotherapy treatments

5. Genetic causes as identified by Karyotype cystic fibrosis and Y-chromosome microdeletion testing

Tips and treatment:

Dr Souren Bhattacharjee advised, “It’s always beneficial to eat a well-balanced diet, get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and keep stress in check besides meeting your fertility expert on a regular basis. One should always be careful about the medications they are taking and discuss their impact on fertility with your doctor.”

As per Dr Shafiq Ahmed, “Hormonal and obstructive causes of Azoospermia are usually treatable and in some cases, fertility can even be restored. If testicular disorders are the source of the problem, live sperm can still be extracted for use in assisted reproductive techniques.”