Post Date December, 02 2023
Oligospermia is a condition in which the amount of sperm in the semen is lower than in healthy, fertile men. In recent years, the quality of human sperm has shown a downward trend due to environmental, estrogen toxicant pollution, and other factors. It is now considered oligozoospermia if the sperm count per milliliter is less than 20 million. However, clinically, it is often accompanied by low sperm motility, poor forward mobility, and high sperm deformity rates. At this time, it is called oligozoospermia, which is a relatively common condition of male infertility.
In recent years, the quality of human sperm has shown a continuous downward trend with the impact of environmental, estrogen toxicant pollution, and other factors. There are many factors leading to oligospermia, including inflammation and drug effects; Alcohol poisoning, excessive smoking, and drugs can inhibit sperm production; Prostatitis and varicocele can inhibit sperm production.
[Five major causes of oligospermia]
Excessive scrotal temperature
The seminiferous tubules in the testis, which are specially used to produce sperm, are very sensitive to temperature changes. The appropriate temperature in this area is 2 to 3 ℃ lower than the human body temperature. Excessive temperature can easily inhibit the survival and maturation of sperm, resulting in a decrease in the number of sperm in the semen or a decrease in activity. Therefore, male friends should wear fewer tight pants, take fewer saunas, avoid electromagnetic radiation and high temperatures, and develop good living habits.
Endocrine abnormality
The normal spermatogenic function of men depends on the normal function of the hypothalamus pituitary gonad axis. Any link disorder can affect the spermatogenic function, and other diseases such as thyroid and adrenal diseases can also affect the function of the gonads leading to oligospermia.
Inflammation of the genitourinary system
Including orchitis, epididymitis, seminal vesiculitis, prostatitis, urethritis, etc., this type of patients in the largest proportion of oligospermia. Inflammation of the genitourinary tract can directly affect the spermatogenic function of the testis. It can also cause the production of antisperm antibodies in the blood or semen, affecting the acidity and alkalinity of the semen. In addition, the direct killing effect of pathogens on sperm can lead to reduced sperm count.
Cryptorchidism
According to research reports, about 30% to 60% of patients with unilateral cryptorchidism are infertile, while 50% to 100% of patients with bilateral cryptorchidism are infertile. In oligospermia, cryptorchidism accounts for about 9%. In addition to the degeneration of the seminiferous tubules in the cryptorchidism itself affecting spermatogenesis, the testicles on the other side that have completely declined may also have varying degrees of damage, possibly due to the impact of antisperm antibodies produced by the cryptorchidism on normal testicles.
Varicocele
Infertility caused by varicocele accounts for 30% to 40% of male infertility. Due to reasons such as elevated testicular temperature and toxin accumulation, testicular spermatogenesis is affected, leading to oligospermia, and in severe cases, azoospermia. "The initial symptoms of varicocele are not obvious. In severe cases, the scrotum may feel bloated and bulged, with protrusions such as earthworm-like blood vessels.". Semen examination showed a decrease in sperm count, poor activity, and an increase in the number of abnormal sperm.
