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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatments for low sperm count include:
- Surgery. For example, a swelling of the veins that drain the testicle (varicocele) can often be surgically corrected or an obstructed vas deferens can be repaired.
- Treating infections. If a blood test reveals high numbers of white blood cells, you may have an infection of the reproductive tract. Antibiotic treatment may cure the infection, but doesn't always restore fertility.
- Hormone treatments and medications. In cases where low sperm count is caused by high or low levels of certain hormones or problems with the way the body uses hormones, your doctor may recommend treatment with hormone replacement or medications that change hormone levels.
- Assisted reproductive technology (ART). For blockage of the vas deferens, retrograde ejaculation or other problems that can cause low sperm count, sperm can be taken directly from the testicle or recovered from the bladder and injected into an egg. The most common ART treatment is in vitro fertilization (IVF). This procedure involves surgically removing an egg from a woman's ovary, combining it with sperm in the lab, and then placing the fertilized egg into the uterus.
When treatment doesn't work
Sometimes male fertility problems can't be treated, and it's impossible for a man to father a child. If this is the case, your doctor may suggest that you and your partner consider either using sperm from a donor or adopting a child.
References
- Guzick DS. Evaluation of the infertile couple. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Sigman M, et al. Male infertility. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/198188923-5/0/1445/22.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Swerdloff RF, et al. Evaluation of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Bulun SE, et al. Infertility and subfertility in men. In: Kronenberg HM, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/199429868-3/0/1555/120.html?tocnode=54107480&fromURL=120.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2911-3..50020-0--cesec90_1743. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Swerdloff RF, et al. Causes of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Leibovitch I, et al. The vicious cycling: Bicycling related urogenital disorders. European Urology. 2005;47:277.
- Wang C, et al. Treatment of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010. Accessed May 10, 2010.
- Eskenazi B, et al. Antioxidant intake is associated with semen quality in healthy men. Human Reproduction. 2005;20:1006.
- Jurewicz J, et al. Environmental factors and semen quality. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. 2009;22:305.
- Agarwal A, et al. Prevention of oxidative stress injury to sperm. Journal of Andrology. 26;6:2005.
- Agarwal A, et al. Carnitines and male infertility. Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 2004;8:376. http://www.rbmonline.com/4DCGI/Article/Detail?38%091%09=%201200%09. Accessed May 7, 2010.
- Burns LH. Psychiatric aspects of infertility and infertility treatments. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2007;30:689.
- Hornstein MD, et al. Optimizing natural fertility in couples planning pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2010.
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