Azoospermia Condition in Men

Infertility is not uncommon in present society. Very often, people would think that the issue with infertility lies mainly in women. However, men can also be the cause of infertility between couples.

Azoospermia is a medical term used when there are no sperm in the ejaculate (semen). This could be caused by a blockage along the reproductive tract which prevents sperm from entering the ejaculate, or it can be non obstructive whereby it is caused by a decrease in sperm production by the testis.

This condition can be hereditary or may be due to chemotherapy, or unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, recreational drug use, and so forth. But in many cases, azoospermia may be caused by factors that we don’t fully understand.

Can men with Azoospermia be able to father a child?

For men with azoospermia due to a blockage in the reproductive tract, sperm may still be present in the reproductive structure, and various procedures can be used to obtain sperm. These includes Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) and Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA). Surgically retrieved sperm are frozen and used for later cycles of treatment (if sufficient). Where sperm retrieval is successful, sperm obtained through these methods yield the same potential as freshly ejaculated sperm in achieving pregnancy. In situation where there is complete absent of sperm, couples may consider opting for donor sperm with IVF treatment.