Urologist Questions Azoospermia

What is azoospermia?

My doctor said that I have azoospermia, and that we'll need to perform more tests to figure out exactly why. What is azoospermia?

7 Answers

It means that in the semen sample that you provided, they did not see any sperm. It could be because you are not producing any, or the path for sperm to join the semen is blocked.
Men who don’t have sperm in their semen have a condition called azoospermia.
You might have a problem that keeps your testicles from making sperm or that stops sperm from getting out of your body.

causes can be:
- infection in your reproductive tract, such as epididymitis and urethritis
_ A childhood illness such as viral orchitis, which causes swelling of one or both testicles
_ A groin injury
_ Cancer or its treatments, like radiation
_ Genetic conditions, such as Klinefelter’s syndromeuses may be:
Azospermia is when your semen analysis test has no sperm present - only the supporting fluid from your prostate and seminal vesicles.
Hopefully they can determine the etiology and help with your fertility.
Azoospermia is the absence of sperm cell in the semen.
Azoospermia is the absence of sperm in your semen. There are two main causes of azoospermia: 1- Obstructive which is due to an obstruction in the tubes that deliver sperm from the epididymi to the urethra 2- Non Obstructive which is due to a failure of the testicle's germ cells to produce sperm
Azoospermia means that there is no sperm in your ejaculate. This can be for two reasons. One is due to obstruction in the most common cause for obstruction is a vasectomy. Number two is loss of testicular production of sperm. The way to delineate the two is to perform a testicular biopsy and possibly bilateral vasograms to see if there is a stricture or obstruction. Before that operation it is worth getting a FSH and LH as well as a testosterone level. These are blood tests. If your FSH is severely elevated that means you have testicular failure and the above surgery is not indicated.

Dr. Niko Lailas
Infertility affects about 15% of couple in the United States. Half of the cases are due to a female factor, 25% due to a male factor, and the rest due to a combination of male and female factors .

Of those men affected, 10-20% are found to have azoospermia. Azoospermia is the absence of sperm in the ejaculate. Azoospermia is grouped into three categories: pretesticular, intratesticular, and post testicular. This means that some cases are due to a problem in the testicles and others are due to factors outside of the testicles such as blockage of the tubes that carry sperm or hormonal imbalances.

Pretesticular azoospermia is due to a defect in the hormones that send signal the testicles to make sperm.

Intratesticular azoospermia refers to a problem in which the testicles are unable to respond to the hormone levels in your body.

Post testicular azoospermia refers to a mechanical problem where the sperm that is made in the testicles is unable to travel through the tubing to get to where it needs.

Depending on which diagnosis a man has, there may be various different options available to help a couple achieve pregnancy. It is advisable to seek out a urologist with special training or interest in infertility.