Symptoms

Azoospermia is a condition in which lack of sperm in the semen doesn’t have any specific symptoms. When couples trying to conceive will experience infertility if the male partner has a zero sperm count. A couple is said to be dealing with infertility if they don’t get pregnant after one year of unprotected intercourse. Infertility is frequently the only sign that something is wrong. Some causes of azoospermia can have noticeable signs and symptoms.

Signs or symptoms that may indicate you’re at risk for azoospermia include:

• Low ejaculate volume or “dry” orgasm (no or little semen)
• Cloudy urine after sex
• Painful urination
• Pelvic pain
• Swollen testicles
• Small or undescended testicles
• Smaller than normal penis
• Delayed or abnormal puberty
• Difficulty with erections or ejaculation
• Low sex drive
• Reduced male hair growth
• Enlarged breasts
• Muscle loss

It is possible in many cases to have none of these symptoms, however, and still have azoospermia.

Types Of Azoospermia?

1. Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

Non-obstructive Azoospermia can either be Testicular Azoospermia or Pre-Testicular Azoospermia. The former occurs when the testicles of a man do not work in the way that it is intended to. This occurs due to abnormalities in the genetic makeup or some type of disease. There are other reasons for it as well.

As for the latter, the problem lies in the sperms themselves. More accurately, some issues in the hormones of the male cause it not to produce the right amount of sperm.

2. Obstructive Azoospermia

As the name suggests, Obstructive Azoospermia occurs due to some kind of blockage in the tract. In this, sperm production is available but due to the blockages, it cannot get out. The term for this type of condition is called post-testicular Azoospermia. In most cases of this condition in men, the diagnosis shows this version as the cause. Therefore, it is the most common type.

Best Treatments For Azoospermia Or No Sperm Count

The treatment for no sperm count depends on the cause of infertility.

1. Hormonal treatment:

Hormonal drugs do help a lot of patients who are suffering from Azoospermia. However, the prescription depends on how much sperm is available in the male partner. The motto of such drugs is to improve the possibility of finding sperms when the doctor is performing the extraction. Or, help the sperm count to improve in the semen. The common drugs that are good for no sperm count are Human chorionic gonadotropin, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Anastrozole, Clomiphene, and Letrozole.

2. TESE (Testicular sperm extraction)- ICSI-IVF

TESE is one of the main procedures for obstructive Azoospermia, and its variation MicroTESE works for non-obstructive Azoospermia too. In this manner, doctors take out sperms from the testes of the male patient through the scrotum. Thereafter, they would investigate the tissue that they took, and cryopreserve the sperms present there.

One of the best points about the TESE procedure, in the form of the ICSI-IVF process, is that it treats both types of Azoospermia. However, in the case of non-obstructive Azoospermia, this only works if there are some mature sperms present in the semen. Thus, it is effective for a limited number of cases for the latter.

3. Infection treatment:

Infection in the male reproductive system can later cause Azoospermia, and it is necessary to treat it as soon as possible. Many people do not show any symptoms like urinary problems to such infections. However, it is still important to consult a doctor and start the treatments.