Post Date December, 03 2023
Zhang Liang and Li Li are a young couple who have just been married for a year. With the stability of their work, they decided to have a baby. Considering that this is a major event, they decided to go to the hospital for a prenatal examination. Be sure to have a healthy, smart, and beautiful baby. "But when Zhang Liang received the routine semen test sheet, he was dazzled by the results of a row: 'The proportion of normal sperm morphology is 20%; the proportion of abnormal sperm is 80%; among them, head deformity is 55%, neck deformity is 20%, body deformity is 20%, and tail deformity is 5%.'". "What can I do about this?" The young couple looked at each other as if they were facing an abyss, unable to speak for a moment. With so many abnormal sperm, how can this baby still need it? The two men came to the andrology clinic with a glimmer of hope to consult the doctor. "To my surprise, the doctor looked at the test sheet and said happily to the two people, 'The test sheet is very good. The man has no major problems, so he can try to get pregnant.'". Zhang Liang was puzzled and pointed to the test sheet, saying, "Doctor, with so many abnormal sperm, can the next generation be healthy?" The doctor smiled and said, "There is no connection between this sperm abnormality rate and whether the next generation of babies is abnormal. The abnormality rate in the semen routine of all people has a certain proportion, which is a natural phenomenon in the process of testicular spermatogenesis.".
It is well known that the reproduction of human offspring is the result of the combination of sperm and eggs. Sperm is a male reproductive "messenger", which is born in the testicle and is a unique reproductive cell for men. However, once sperm is generated, it faces aging. The appearance characteristic of sperm aging is abnormal sperm. Therefore, there is an item in the semen quality analysis report: "Normal sperm morphology ratio ××% (≥ 15% is normal); Proportion of abnormal (abnormal) sperm morphology ××% (≤ 85% is normal).
The process of sperm production is quite complex. Sperm production is regulated by the endocrine system and produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testis, which are composed of numerous germ cells and supporting cells. The so-called germ cells include spermatogonia, spermatocytes, sperm cells, and other types. Spermatogenic cells adhere closely to the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules and can continuously divide, differentiate, and gradually migrate from the base to the lumen. Therefore, the "ancestor" of sperm is spermatogonial cells. Each spermatogonial cell can eventually evolve into four sperm, and the seminiferous tubules in the testis contain hundreds of millions of spermatogonial cells. According to a ratio of 1:4, the total weight of two testicles in a man is about 20-40g, and each gram of testicular tissue produces 10 million sperm per day, resulting in a total of about 2-4 billion sperm per day. The sperm production is large enough.
The production process of sperm in the seminiferous tubules takes about 74 days, and at this time, the sperm is still very delicate and immature, and it does not have the ability to exercise and fertilize. Therefore, it also has to stay in the epididymis for about 16 days to help sperm undergo further processing and maturation under the microenvironment of the epididymis, gradually gaining the ability to exercise and fertilize. This process also becomes the functional maturation of sperm. However, within about 90 days of sperm production and maturation, these delicate and naive sperm also undergo a great storm and ordeal, and also follow the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest. "It also has a natural process of apoptosis, coupled with the influence of" external factors "that cause some sperm to develop abnormally in the head, neck, body, or tail.". So what are the reasons for these sperm abnormalities?
1. Due to the influence of individual genes, chromosome abnormalities cause abnormal sperm.
2. Under the influence of environmental factors, long-term high fever and excessive alcohol consumption in the scrotum can damage the function of spermatogenic cells in the testis and interfere with sperm growth and maturation, leading to sperm abnormalities. Irradiation of the testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicles by radiation can cause mutations in sperm, leading to abnormal sperm disease. Mutations in sperm cells are related to the intensity and duration of irradiation.
3. Infections of the genitourinary tract, orchitis associated with parotitis, congenital testicular hypoplasia, chronic poisoning, epididymal tuberculosis, mental overstrain, malnutrition, frequent sexual activity, and varicocele can all affect the spermatogenesis process.
4. The use of hormones or certain chemical drugs, such as the frequent use of sedatives, antineoplastic drugs, chemical drugs such as marillan, furans, and hormone drugs, also has interference effects on the division of spermatogonia and sperm maturation, and is a common cause of high sperm deformity.
5. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sperm abnormalities are caused by the imbalance between kidney yin and yang, and the inability of qi deficiency to transform into true sperm can cause sperm abnormalities, causing sperm to change their appearance. At the same time, the depletion of kidney yang and the incandescence of phase fire can also cause burns to the sperm and abnormal sperm morphology.
The most crucial thing is that when couples have sex and complete ejaculation, a vast army of sperm is transported through a 30 cm long vas deferens and injected into a woman's vagina. The sperm army will also have a race on a track with a vagina of about 10 cm and a fallopian tube of about 15 cm. For sperm, this track is no less than a modern human international track and field competition, the Marathon. Similarly, only the elite among the elite have the chance to win the championship and join the egg to produce a healthy baby. And those affected by various reasons that produce abnormal sperm are unlikely to receive this honor.
Through the doctor's explanation and analysis, the couple realized that only excellent sperm can combine with the egg to produce a healthy baby, while those abnormal sperm have no chance to combine with the egg. Therefore, abnormal sperm within the normal range is not enough to pose a threat to the health of the next generation, and the couple just fell to the ground.
