Which procedure should I undergo to increase sperm count?

Question

Hi doctor,

My sperm count is low; it has dropped from 18 million to 3 million within a period of five months time. I have been diagnosed with bilateral varicocele. I have consulted three urologists. The first doctor advised me to go for ART (artificial reproductive technology) second one prescribed medicine to boost my sperm count and motility and the third one advised to get the varicocele corrected by surgery. According to him, surgical correction will certainly increase the sperm count. In case it does not work, then he asked me to go with ART. Please suggest, as to which one I should opt for? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

After going through your report (attachment removed to protect patient identity), I am aware that you are suffering from severe oligozoospermia (oligospermia). After four days of abstinence, please repeat the semen analysis. Even after repeating the tests, if the sperm count does not change, then I would suggest you go with either of these options. Firstly, get a varicocelectomy (surgical treatment for male infertility) done and check for any rise in the sperm count. More severe the oligospermia fewer chances of rising in sperm count. The second option I would suggest is to go for IVF(in vitro fertilization). In severe cases of oligospermia, medicine will not help. Some of the factors to be taken into consideration are the period of infertility, the sperm motility and the grade of varicocele.