Going through Father’s Day can be hard for men who experience difficulties conceiving a child with their loved one. If you are one of those men, don’t lose hope. Advances in fertility research and treatment have kept the door open even for men with low sperm count to become a father. This month, Dr Agilan Arjunan shares some insights on the options available to transform a man’s dream of fatherhood into reality.
THE ESSENCE OF FATHERHOOD
Men’s Health and Fertility with Dr. Agilan Arjunan Consultant Gynaecologist & Fertility Specialist KL Fertility Centre
Looking at the two men below, which one do you think has a sperm count issue? There is no way of telling, actually. A man can have every stereotypical element associated with masculinity — big strapping muscles, lots of bodies and facial hair, height, etc — but he can still have low sperm concentration.
Let’s have Dr. Agilan explain the sperm production process to get a better idea of the big picture.
Once sperm cells are produced, they will take around 72 days to reach maturation. Therefore, any changes made to improve sperm count and quality usually need about 3 months before any noticeable improvements are seen.
DOWN FOR THE COUNT
“The World Health Organization defines low sperm count as sperm concentration of below 15 million per milliliter of semen,” says Dr. Agilan. Given the drop of fertility rate among men worldwide, he adds that this figure is expected to be redefined into a higher figure in the future.
How can a man have a low sperm count?
Basically, there are two possible reasons.
One, something affected the sperm production process. Dr. Agilan reveals that about 15% of men with zero sperm count (azoospermia) are born with defects in their Y-chromosome. Hormonal imbalances can also affect sperm production — one common example is the use of anabolic steroids by men who want to improve their physique (see next page).
The other possible cause is that something is blocking sperm cells from being present in the man’s semen. Typically, this is due to past infections, previous surgery that led to obstructive scar tissues or trauma to the genitals.
However, there is hope!
This story is from the June 2019 edition of Health Today Malaysia.
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This story is from the June 2019 edition of Health Today Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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