Why abnormal sperm

Around one in three cases of male infertility are caused by blockages or absence of tubes which prevent sperm passage. This could be caused by injury, genetic abnormality, or a vasectomy. It is usually a good sign if you have ever conceived a baby with any partner in the past, but this may not mean that your sperm is compatible with your current partner. Other factors that adversely affect sperm quality and numbers include:.

There is no scientific evidence that wearing tight clothes or bike shorts affects the quality of your sperm. Diet, vitamins and supplements actually have very little impact on your sperm count - but they do help you stay healthy. Sports injuries to the groin or testes will only have an impact on sperm production in extremely severe cases.

Non-obstructive azoospermia no sperm in the ejaculate requires careful evaluation and a possible search for sperm in the testis using a technique known as testicular biopsy. In some instances, microdissection of the testis is utilised to more accurately find sperm in the seminiferous tubules.

This is done as a day procedure and a few days convalescence is required. Before retrieving the sperm it is necessary to check the genetic make-up as some abnormalities of the Y chromosome male chromosome indicate that finding sperm is unlikely. Furthermore, if genetic abnormalities are found, a couple must be counselled as rarely a genetic problem causing infertility may be inherited by a male child. Sperm that are retrieved can be used fresh the same day or frozen in liquid nitrogen for later microinjection.

Men with very poor semen quality are at an increased risk for testicular disease as well. Before you experienced infertility, you may have only been familiar with sperm count.

You likely knew that having a low sperm count is a problem. You may not have been aware of the many other ways sperm or semen can be abnormal. You may hear these terms used to describe male infertility or semen analysis results. This is when all measured sperm and semen parameters are normal. Here are the ranges for normal semen analysis results. Aspermia is when there is no ejaculate and no sperm. This is not the same as azoospermia, where there is semen but no sperm.

In aspermia, there is no semen at all. With aspermia, a man may experience an orgasm, but there may be no ejaculate released. Aspermia can have several causes, including retrograde ejaculation, a genetic disorder like with Klinefelter syndrome or cystic fibrosis , congenital abnormalities of the reproductive tract, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, post-testicular cancer treatment, or severe sexual dysfunction. Male fertility is severely affected by aspermia.

However, having a genetic child might still be possible. In some cases, the cause of aspermia can be treated. If treatment is not possible, a testicular biopsy might be able to retrieve immature sperm from the testes.

If these options are not possible, a sperm donor may be considered. This is when the total ejaculate is low less than 1. Hypospermia can be caused by many of the same things that cause aspermia, but it is most commonly caused by retrograde ejaculation. Retrograde ejaculation is when semen goes backward into the bladder instead of going out the urethra. Azoospermia is when there is zero sperm in the ejaculate.

The semen may appear completely normal otherwise, so the condition can only be diagnosed through semen analysis. The most common causes of azoospermia include:. Some untreated sexually transmitted infections can cause obstructions that lead to azoospermia. Azoospermia can also occur post-testicular cancer treatment. Rarely, the condition can be caused by a hormonal imbalance, severe sexual dysfunction, or an infection of mumps orchitis.

Oligozoospermia is when the sperm count is lower than normal. Extreme oligozoospermia is sometimes called cyrptozoospermia. Frequently, when the sperm count is low, other issues related to sperm health are also present, such as problems with sperm movement and sperm shape.

There are many possible causes of low sperm count, including:. Environmental conditions, work-related exposure, and lifestyle choices can also cause low sperm count. For example, overheating the testicles e. In some cases, lifestyle changes may improve sperm count enough to improve fertility. In the majority of cases, a specific cause for low sperm count is never found. When a cause cannot be identified, it is called idiopathic oligozoospermia. Oligozoospermia is the most common reason for subfertility in men.

Men with mild or moderate oligozoospermia might still be able to father a child naturally. However, the lower the sperm count, the less likely it is that the couple will have pregnancy success without the help of fertility treatments.

It can also take longer to conceive. Sperm morphology: Assessment, pathophysiology, clinical relevance and state of the art in Danis RB, et al.

Sperm morphology: History, challenges and impact on natural and assisted fertility. Current Urology Reports. Helo S expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. May 14, See also Assisted reproductive technology Infertility — Not just a female condition Cushing syndrome Delayed ejaculation Erectile dysfunction dietary supplements Erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction: Nonoral treatments Erectile dysfunction: A sign of heart disease?

Erectile dysfunction and diabetes Erectile dysfunction treatment: How can your partner help? Erectile dysfunction medications Genetic testing 'Herbal viagra': Is it safe? In vitro fertilization IVF Is a home sperm test useful? Low sperm count Male infertility Male masturbation: Does frequency affect male fertility? Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.

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Advertising and sponsorship policy Advertising and sponsorship opportunities. If a man is concerned about his fertility, it is best to get a lab test done by a medical professional for a comprehensive evaluation of the semen sample provided.

Semen is normally translucent or whitish-gray in color. Semen that is greenish, yellowish, brownish or reddish can be a sign of an abnormality. Other characteristics that could suggest an abnormality is if it is too thick, too watery or carries a foul odor.

Semen volume concentration. Low volume can indicate a possible blockage, an inadequately collected sample, retrograde ejaculation semen going into the bladder instead out of the tip of the penis , and dysfunction in the seminal vesicles or prostate.

Sperm count. The technical term for low sperm count is oligospermia. Sperm morphology size and shape. Sperm morphology includes an assessment of the head size, the midpiece appearance and the structure of the tail.

Sperm motility movement. Lab technicians look at two aspects in the semen sample when it comes to motility. The first is the activity of the sperm, looking for at least 40 percent of the sperm to be active to be considered normal. The second area being monitored is the quality of the movement. There are many causes behind an abnormal semen analysis, and some of these are covered in the lifestyle changes section below.

Other reasons include:.