Speaking exclusively with PUNCH HealthWise, the gynaecologist said men experiencing low sperm count and other fertility issues must get proper medical examination and treatment from a specialist, warning that indulging in self-medication may worsen their problem.
He said, “Low sperm count has a lot of causes. It may be that the man is not producing sperm cells from the testicles. That is a problem.
“Sometimes, the man produces enough sperm cells but then, there is no outlet for the sperm cells to come out and enter into the vagina of the woman because the seminal vesicles through which the sperm cells in the seminal fluid will pass are blocked. So, the man is producing sperm but he cannot pass them out.
“These are issues that require different treatments. If the man is producing sperm cells and there is a blockage, the treatment is for the man to get an operation, whereby the blockage is released because he is producing, only that there is a blockage.
“Now, if the low sperm count is due to insufficient production from the testicles, then it requires a different treatment.”
Dr. Aliyu, who is also an Associate Professor of Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Bayero University, Kano, explained that a man whose testicles are not functional cannot impregnate a woman because he is not producing anything.
“If he should have sex with a woman, it is only the fluid that does not contain sperm cells that he is producing. In that respect, he cannot impregnate a woman.
“Also, in some men, the testicles that they have are not in the scrotum. Instead, they are in the inguinal region and that place is not optimum for the production of spermatozoa. In that case, too, the man cannot impregnate a woman because he is not producing anything”, he said.
The gynaecologist urged men with low sperm count to seek medical help instead of indulging in self-medication that could worsen their condition.
According to the World Health Organisation estimate, between 48 million couples and 186 million individuals live with infertility globally.
“In the male reproductive system, infertility is most commonly caused by problems in the ejection of semen, absence or low levels of sperm, or abnormal shape (morphology) and movement (motility) of the sperm”, says WHO.
Researchers in a 2018 study, published in Science Daily, noted that low sperm count is not just a problem for fertility but that it also has a link with other health issues.
“Infertile men are likely to have important co-existing health problems or risk factors that can impair quality of life and shorten their lives”, the researchers said.
Source: healthwise.punchng.com
