If every milliliter of semen you ejaculated contains less than 15 million sperm, then that’s already considered a low sperm count and diagnosed as oligospermia. For men who have severe oligospermia, their sperm count is only less than five million sperm per milliliter of ejaculate. Some don’t even have any sperm at all in their ejaculated semen.
Having a low sperm count does not automatically mean you are infertile. There are many men who have low sperm counts but were still able to father children. It’s just that having a low sperm count makes it difficult for you and your partner to conceive.
Take a look at these warning signs of low sperm count (oligospermia).
1. Inability To Conceive
Not being able to impregnate your partner even though you’ve been having unprotected sex for a long time is the number one sign that your sperm count may be low.
Most of the time, people think that if a couple is unable to have children, it must be because of the female partner. Unfortunately, male infertility accounts for at least 30% of cases wherein couples are unable to conceive.
Although it may be extremely frustrating, if it has only been several months that you and your partner have been trying to conceive, try to give it a little more time. The truth is that fertility doctors will only diagnose you as infertile if you’ve been trying for more than a year but still failed to conceive.
This doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t proactively do something to remedy your situation. Even if your doctor does not want to diagnose you as infertile yet, you can already have your semen analyzed to see if there’s an issue with your sperm count and quality. You can actually enhance your fertility in various ways.
2. Painful Or Swollen Testicles
Although it doesn’t happen all the time, there are many cases wherein a low sperm count is accompanied by pain, inflammation, or lumps found in the testicle area.
This symptom is especially common if the cause of oligospermia is an infection. When your testicles are infected and become swollen, this can impair your ability to produce sperm. This may be caused by urinary tract infections or even sexually transmitted infections.
If you have epididymitis or inflamed epididymis, it can cause blockages or scars in the tube where your sperm passes through when you ejaculate. This can also cause a low sperm count since your sperm are hindered from going out of your penis.
3. Sexual Problems
There are also instances when oligospermia is accompanied by sexual problems. You may experience a reduction in your libido or sexual desire. Or you may suffer from erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Low sperm count coupled with sexual problems may be a result of a hormone problem. For instance, if your thyroid hormone levels are abnormal, it can cause erectile dysfunction as well as low sperm production.
4. Reduced Facial Or Body Hair
When your sperm count is low and you’re also noticing a decrease in your facial or body hair, it could mean that you have an abnormally low testosterone level. When your body doesn’t produce enough testosterone, it can also negatively affect your sperm production. Not to mention the fact that your libido will also suffer.
Low testosterone levels, when accompanied by a low sperm count, may also be a result of the abnormally low production of luteinizing hormone (LH) as well as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
Luteinizing hormone work by triggering the Leydig cells in your testes to produce testosterone. However, when your LH levels are low, then your testes won’t receive sufficient stimulation to produce testosterone. FSH, on the one hand, triggers sperm production.
Natural Remedies For Oligospermia
If you’re concerned about having a low sperm count, one way to remedy the problem is to take testosterone-boosting and fertility-enhancing supplements. Natural male enhancement supplement can help you with your fertility issues.
For one, this contains testosterone-boosting ingredients like Tribulus terrestris and tongkat ali. These two medicinal herbs are not only scientifically proven to increase testosterone levels, they’re also known to improve sperm count. So if your oligospermia is a result of having low testosterone levels, natural male enhancement supplement may be the answer to your problem.
A supplement isn’t just perfect for enhancing your fertility, it’s also great for increasing your sexual prowess and improving your performance in the bedroom. It also contains natural ingredients that are known for their pro-erectile effects like horny goat weed and maca.