A common thing associated with male infertility has to do with the sperm, explains medical doctor Samuel Gyedu Owusu of the St. Anthony’s Catholic Hospital in Dzodze, Volta Region.

Mostly, whenever a couple faces infertility, it is widely assumed that it is the woman’s fault, however, research has made it clear that both males and females are responsible for 45%-45% of infertility cases.

While women’s fertility depends on adverse conditions in four main areas – fallopian tube, uterus (womb), ovaries, and hormones, a man’s fertility relies heavily on his sperm quality and condition.

Dr. Gyedu Owusu in this exclusive interview with gender advocate and journalist, Emelia Naa Ayeley Aryee, has provided some enlightenment on sperm conditions that cause infertility.

Oligospermia
Oligospermia, also known as low sperm count, is a situation whereby the amount of sperm in the semen produced by the man is not enough to impregnate a woman.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a healthy sperm count should be between 15 - 200 million or 20 -150 million sperm per millimeter of semen. If a man falls below 15 million, his ability to impregnate becomes low because the sperm concentration in his ejaculation is minimal.

“When this happens, it means most of the sperm are dead. If something is dead, how do you resurrect them to work again? The best that can be done is lifestyle management and some medications to support it. Ultimately, IUI is required for the woman to get pregnant with the man’s most effective sperm,” Dr. Owusu advised.

Teratospermia:
In Teratospermia, the morphology (shape and size) of sperm has changed. Dr. Owusu explained that each sperm has a head, middle, and neck.

However, in men with teratospermia, some sperms do not have a head, no tail, and no middle, making them appear deformed and abnormal.

Other sperms, he said come with two heads. This often results in just a few normal sperm in the semen that may not be up to the amount of sperm count needed to impregnate a woman. Deformed or abnormal sperm cannot fertilise an egg, Dr. Owusu stressed.

Astheneszospermia
The astheneszospermia condition has to do with sperm motility. After ejaculation, sperms are supposed to swim in one line toward the egg in the fallopian tube.

However, in men with astheneszospermia, the sperm either cannot swim, or they swim in various directions with some even flowing back out of the vagina instead of advancing toward the fallopian tube.

When this happens, just a few sperm or none at all may swim toward the egg, therefore, fertilitzation is not possible.

Aspermia
Aspermia is often referred to as dry orgasm. In this condition, a man may attain orgasm and ejaculate but with no fluid or semen coming out.

One of the causes of aspermia is retrograde ejaculation which happens when instead of coming out from the penis, the semen goes rather into the bladder.

Aspermia can also be caused by excessive drug usage by the man, or prostrate operation. Certainly, if there is no fluid, it means there is no semen to even host sperm for fertilisation.

Azoospermia
In azoospermia, there is a complete lack or zero sperm available in the semen. The man reaches orgasm and ejaculates alright with enough semen but not even a single sperm is available in the semen.

With the total absence of sperm, fertilisation is highly impossible and therefore, pregnancy can’t happen.

Causes of sperm defect
According to Dr. Gyedu Owusu, adverse sperm conditions can be caused by dietary issues, the use of certain medications, and living in industrial areas where there is release of harmful chemicals.

“For instance, when you take cancer treatment, due to the toxic nature of the medications used in the chemotherapy, sperm may be lost, the same as it is for women and their eggs. And for those living in industry zones, inhalation of chemicals over a long period of time can affect their sperm quality,” he said.

He added that men with a history of mumps are at risk of being infertile because the virus that causes mumps attacks sperm and affects it negatively, same as testicular infection and testicular cancer.

Again, wearing too tight clothes below the waist, and exposing the testicles to heat can all affect sperm poorly. Other sperm conditions, including teratospermia and asthenezospemia, may be genetic.

Boosting male fertility
Dr. Gyedu Owusu encourages men to eat healthily and engage in moderate exercise. Research indicates that green leafy vegetables such as kontomire and spinach are ideal for good sperm production and health.

Additionally, beans, other leguminous crops, fruits, healthy smoothie also containing chia seeds, banana are recommended.

Men should also consider incorporating salmon, sardines, and omega 3 in their foods, while cutting down on meat, sugar, fizzy drinks, and junk food. They are also to avoid alcohol and smoking.

The medical doctor advised that when a couple has not achieved pregnancy after one year of unprotected sex, they should visit the hospital for checks. However, women aged 35 years and above should not wait for one year. Six months is ideal for them to seek medical checks.

He called on men to make it a responsibility to visit the hospital with their wives together.

“Men should avail themselves for semen analyses. Sometimes, they sit back and watch only the women go because they assume they are fine. But that is not the case. Most of the time, the women come, you examine them and they are fine, but the men won’t come. To defeat infertility, both partners should be examined together,” he said.

Please watch excerpts of Dr. Samuel Gyedu Owusu’s interview here: