Azoospermia is a medical
condition of a man not having any measurable level of sperm in his semen. It is
associated with very low levels of fertility or even sterility, but many forms
are amenable to the male population and may be seen in up to 20% of male
infertility solutions.
Azoospermia
is usually detected in the course of an infertility investigation. It is
established on the basis of two semen analysis evaluations done at separate
occasions (when the seminal specimen after centrifugation shows no sperm under
the microscope) and requires a further workup.
The workup is as follows:
·
History
·
Physical
examination including a thorough evaluation of the scrotum and testes
·
Laboratory
tests
·
Imaging
History includes the
general health, sexual health, past fertility, libido and sexual activity.
Past exposure to a number
of agents, which can be harmful to the production of sperm and includes a
number of pesticides and environmental exposure to heat for prolonged periods.
A history of surgical
procedures of the genital system needs to be elicited. The family history needs
to be assessed to look for genetic abnormalities.
Complete
Production of Sperm takes 72 days.
Various Treatment Options Available for Azoospermia
OBSTRUCTIVE
AZOOSPERMIA
Men with obstructive azoospermia may father children in
one of the two ways:
·
Surgical correction of the obstruction, which may
allow the couple to conceive naturally.
·
Retrieval of sperm directly from the epididymis or
testis, followed by injection of sperm into an egg.
Common
Methods of Sperm Retrieval
Method
|
Acronym
|
Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration
|
MESA
|
Percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration
|
PESA
|
Testicular sperm extraction
|
TESE
|
Percutaneous testicular sperm extraction
|
TESA
|
NON
OBSTRUCTIVE AZOOSPERMIA
One of the most difficult aspects of non obstructive
azoospermia is that while testicular sperm retrieval in men with obstruction is
not difficult, there is failure to obtain sperm for ICSI in more than half the
cases.
For non obstructive Azoospermia, as such, treatment options
are not available. We can do only one thing for the patients of non obstructive
azoospermia, Stem Cell Therapy.
Stem cell
therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, promotes the reparative response
of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their
derivatives.
Stem Cell Therapy is a
new ray of hope for male infertility, with the potential of rejuvenating testicular
tissue.
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