Male reproductive health is fragile. A variety of factors can negatively affect a man's ability to fertilize. There are many forms of male infertility. One of them - asthenozoospermia, we will talk about in this article. What is this ailment and how does it affect the likelihood of pregnancy?
Characteristic
Asthenozoospermia is a pathological condition of male reproductive health, in which an insufficient number of motile and active spermatozoa is found in the ejaculate. At the same time, the number of living sperm cells may well correspond to the norm, but there are not enough purposeful cells capable of moving quickly in a straight line.
For successful fertilization of an egg, it is important that the male sex cells are morphologically healthy, not altered, so that they have the correct structure, but it is equally important that they move in the direction set by nature as quickly as possible. Slow sperm are mostly doomed to die in the acidic environment of the vagina or when passing the cervical canal of the cervix. To get to the ampullar part of the fallopian tube, where the egg cell ready for fertilization is located during ovulation, such sperm have practically no chance.
Quite often, asthenozoospermia in men is found in its pure form. Often it is combined with teratozoospermia - a violation of the morphological properties of spermatozoa (the presence of two heads or two tails in one cell, a violation of the structure of any part of the sperm). In addition, asthenozoospermia is combined with increased sperm viscosity, agglutination (adhesion of germ cells to each other). This pathology can be concomitant with other forms of male infertility.
A man who has heard such a diagnosis should not despair. Despite the seriousness of the situation, asthenozoospermia is not among the total lesions of the reproductive system, it responds well to treatment, of course, with timely access to a doctor and strict adherence to all medical recommendations.
Classification
To understand how significant the deviation from the norm is, you should know that all spermatozoa, without exception, are divided into 4 large groups according to their ability to move. Group A germ cells are the most active and mobile, they are called progressive. They move quickly, the vector of their movement is straight. It is these cells that are able to get to the egg and fertilize.
Group B sex cells are also quite suitable for conception. They differ from sperm cells of the first category only in speed - it is slightly lower. But the motion vector is straight, which means that such cells can also get to their destination, but a little later.
Spermatozoa of group C are alive and mobile. But they are unsuitable for fertilization, since they move along the wrong trajectory - either in a circle, or in the opposite direction, or "marking time" in one place. They cannot get to the egg.
Group D cells are motionless. They can be alive, but for a number of reasons, they are not capable of movement, and they can be dead. They do not participate in the race for the right to fertilize at all.
Any man in the ejaculate has cells of different groups, since this is a feature of spermatogenesis - some cells die off, others, younger ones, replace them. However, a healthy man is considered to have cells of categories A and B prevailing in the ejaculate. It is good if there are at least 50% of the total number of sperm. Sometimes only type A cells are counted; a healthy man capable of natural fertilization should have at least 25% of them.
These are the norms, and everything that does not fit into them is called asthenozoospermia. Depending on the severity of the disease, several degrees of the disease are determined:
1 degree. This is a moderate degree of pathology, insignificant, in which the content of mobile and progressive germ cells in the ejaculate is reduced to 40%. This amount can theoretically be enough to conceive a baby, the chances of pregnancy are slightly reduced. The insidiousness of the first degree of asthenozoospermia lies in the fact that, without timely correction, the tendency to a decrease in sperm activity can progress.
2 degrees. This degree conditionally refers to moderate, but the number of mobile and active cells in the ejaculate is already reduced to 30-35%. In other words, only a third of the sperm cells are able to reach the egg. The likelihood of conception is reduced, but not critically. This degree needs treatment.
3 degrees. This is a pronounced pathology in which there are less than 30% of fast and motile spermatozoa capable of fertilization in the ejaculate of a man. It is quite difficult for a couple to get pregnant on their own with such a diagnosis. In this case, you cannot do without medical help.
Impact on fertilization
As already mentioned, asthenozoospermia is not a total pathology. The higher the degree of the disease, the less chances that spouses will become parents naturally, but they are not equal to zero. In the absence of treatment of the first degree of the disease, conception is theoretically possible, as in the second degree. It is possible to get pregnant even with the third degree of the disease, but the chances are very small. They are estimated at about 2-3%.
For the prognosis, not only the number of progressive and mobile cells in the ejaculate matters, but also the number of immobile and sedentary sperm. Only a comprehensive assessment makes it possible to judge a man's fertility.
Correctly performed treatment allows for 6-9 months to normalize the composition of sperm, increase the number of mobile cells, thereby increasing the chances of conception. Much depends on the spouses' focus on results and their adherence to the recommendations.
Causes of occurrence
Asthenozoospermia can be caused by a great variety of individual causes and their combination. For a successful treatment, it is important to establish the root causes, because their elimination is the basis of therapy. The reasons can be external, internal (pathological) and physiological.
External
Men, as a rule, create external reasons for themselves - due to inexperience, ignorance or carelessness. This primarily concerns those who like to take a steam bath or sit with friends in the sauna for several hours. Long lying in a bathtub filled with hot water also negatively affects sperm motility.
Nature "brought out" the testes of men outside the body, providing for them a special skin sac - the scrotum, it maintains a cooler temperature, below the body temperature. With her, spermatogenesis proceeds without problems. If the scrotum overheats in a bath or sauna, if a man often uses car seat heating, then the number of healthy and mobile germ cells decreases several times.
This should be remembered for those who like to wear tight-fitting underwear and tight-fitting trousers. During an illness, against a background of high heat, the testes also heat up, and therefore, within 2-3 months after the illness, the mobility of the germ cells is reduced.
If the conditions for the production of new young spermatozoa are favorable, there are no overheating factors, then new cells during this period will replace the inactive ones, fertility will be fully restored.
A common external cause of asthenozoospermia is smoking and alcohol addiction. Most of the stronger sex believe that a glass of beer in the evening and marijuana in reasonable quantities will not harm their health. We hasten to disappoint: more than half of all cases of asthenozoospermia in combination with a violation of sperm morphology are observed just in men who cannot be called drinkers, but who take small portions of alcohol every evening or every other day.
With the systematic use of marijuana, a man's fertility decreases after six months. If he does not say goodbye to this bad habit, asthenozoospermia progresses. Drugs and alcohol, like nicotine, destroy the structure of germ cells, cause mutations, paralyze the tail of the sperm, thereby reducing cell mobility. Another danger lies in the fact that conception can still take place. If the sperm is modified, then, with a high degree of probability, such a pregnancy will not end with anything good - a miscarriage will occur, a frozen pregnancy, a child with gross chromosomal abnormalities may be born.
The external causes of asthenozoospermia include medication. Antibiotics, antiepileptic and hormonal agents have the most destructive effect on the mobility of germ cells. Some male athletes use steroid hormones, which also inhibits the production of young, strong sperm.
A common cause of asthenozoospermia is malnutrition. If a man believes that a hamburger or shawarma is a perfectly acceptable lunch, and canned food and carbonated drinks, like strong coffee, have a right to exist on his table, then you should not be surprised at the decrease in sperm activity. Preservatives and dyes, chemical additives, which are abundant in such food, disrupt the initial cycles of spermatogenesis, cells mature already unhealthy, damaged.
The external causes of asthenozoospermia are diverse, often they lie in the profession of a representative of the stronger sex - chemical production, work in a paint shop, in conditions of radiation, contact with heavy metal salts increase the likelihood of developing severe severe asthenozoospermia. Separately, experts identify psychological infertility.
Men who are exposed to severe stress for a long time, working under stress are more likely to suffer from infertility than men who are able to control their feelings and emotions, relax and have good rest.
Physiological
Sperm are quite susceptible to the general well-being of their host, as well as to his environment. This explains most of the physiological reasons for the development of the so-called natural asthenozoospermia. Its difference from other types of the disease is temporary. Usually, such a violation goes away on its own, and sometimes does not even require any correction.
Against the background of a natural decrease in immunity and vitamin deficiency in the spring, sperm become less mobile. Human biological rhythms dictate a certain order of life to the reproductive cells, which is why sperm cells are slower and lazier in the morning than in the evening. If a man abstains from sexual intercourse and masturbation for a long time, the mobility of his sex cells decreases several times, the sperm becomes thicker and more viscous, and sperm agglutination is observed.
If a representative of the stronger sex leads a frequent and active sex life, the number of progressive and motile spermatozoa in him increases.
Pathological
These causes will not disappear by themselves without medical intervention. That is why a man needs to undergo a comprehensive examination. Often, the activity and mobility of germ cells is reduced due to existing prostatitis or varicocele. Inflammation of the epididymis (epididymitis) also almost always leads to the appearance in the ejaculate of a large number of immobile and even non-viable sperm.
Sexual infections and sexually transmitted diseases are the most common cause of pathological asthenozoospermia. At the same time, a man does not always guess that he is the bearer of this or that ailment. So, many "winged" infections (chlamydia, ureaplasma) are latent, and only laboratory tests can show their presence.
Sometimes the development of asthenozoospermia is "guilty" of the man's immunity. So his body's natural defenses can react to old injuries to the scrotum or penis. Which man has never fought? There are few of them. But even a minor injury can lead to the production of anti-sperm antibodies over the years. So the immune system will try to destroy healthy and mobile germ cells by mistake.
Sperm become inactive in men with hormonal disorders, overweight, obesity, as well as in men who lead an inactive, predominantly sedentary lifestyle.
A separate topic for conversation is the genetic born pathologies of spermatozoa, in which sperm cells are initially unable to move due to structural disturbances, for example, an immobile, paralyzed tail. Medicine has not yet learned to treat such pathologies. If a genetic abnormality is confirmed, the man is considered infertile. The good news is that such pathologies are very rare. And with each there are options for the use of assisted reproductive technologies.
Diagnostics
The only way to establish such a diagnosis as asthenozoospremia is by performing a spermogram. This analysis can be done in any reproduction center, in private and public clinics, in family planning centers. It is inexpensive, done in a day.
Before donating sperm, a man should refrain from sexual intercourse for 4-5 days. It is important to make sure that at the time of taking the spermogram, the husband does not have influenza, ARVI and other diseases, that he has not taken hormones and antibiotics for the past three months.
You can donate a sample of ejaculate in a clinic by masturbating in a separate room, or you can collect the material at home in a sterile jar for biomaterial, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. It is important to deliver the sperm to the laboratory within 40-45 minutes from the time of ejaculation.
Treatment
Treatment of asthenozoospermia is always complex. It is not limited to taking the drug prescribed by the doctor; correction of the man's entire lifestyle is required. If the degree of the disease is insignificant (first or second), you can limit yourself to just a lifestyle correction. A man should say goodbye to fast food, alcohol, reduce the amount of tobacco consumed or quit smoking altogether. Proper nutrition will help to reduce weight, if there is such a problem, and also normalize metabolism.
Excessive physical activity is contraindicated for a man, but his lifestyle should be quite active. In other words, you shouldn't rip the veins in the gym by lifting the barbell, but jogging before bed or walking or skiing will do a lot of good. Particular attention should be paid to sleep patterns. You need to sleep at least 8 hours and always at night. It is at night time that a man's body produces a large amount of hormones, many of which are involved in the processes of reproduction and spermatogenesis. If the work involves night shifts, it is better to find another job or switch to a different work schedule with the wording "for health reasons."
Residents of large and gassed cities should go on vacation, live in a village or by the sea, where the ecological situation is more favorable.
To deal with chronic stress, you can turn to a specialist - a psychotherapist or a psychologist.A lot depends on the positive attitude of the man himself and his desire to improve his own reproductive health.
The mobility of germ cells will help to increase the systematic and long-term (at least 3-6 months) intake of special drugs to improve spermatogenesis. These are vitamin preparations and combined dietary supplements containing vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, zinc, selenium and iron. The most famous and effective drugs are Spermaktiv, Spermaplant, Proffertil, Viardo Forte.
Such treatment in most cases helps to cope with asthenozoospermia in six months, two cycles of spermatogenesis (each lasting about 3 months) is enough to judge the first results. This therapeutic approach is effective in most cases, with the exception of asthenozoospermia caused by infections and inflammation. In this case, the man is first recommended a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, and then the above universal scheme with vitamins, dietary supplements and correction of the daily routine.
The most difficult to treat is asthenozoospermia caused by autoimmune causes. Prescribed drugs that belong to the group of immunosuppressants, suppressing excessive aggression of the immune system. But they do not always help, and then, as in cases with congenital genetic causes, it is recommended that a man and his wife turn to reproductive specialists for IVF with the use of their own or donor sperm.
Modern medicine can artificially fertilize a female ovum with the living, but immobile sperm of her husband, and sometimes even from a completely dead germ cell it is possible to extract genetic material for fertilization in laboratory conditions. Therefore, you should not despair. There are always chances to become a dad.
Humanity has been using folk remedies to improve the quality of sperm for many centuries. But such therapy should not go against the recommendations of the attending physician. It is best to ask your doctor what your doctor thinks about it before using any alternative medicine recipe. The most popular remedies among the people are pumpkin juice in the morning on an empty stomach, honey and beekeeping products, rose hips, nine-strength herb and decoctions and infusions from it.
Asthenozoospermia should be treated patiently and comprehensively. In the diet of a man, every day there should be foods rich in animal protein - meat, fish, cottage cheese, poultry. The disease lends itself well to correction; up to 95% of all cases can be cured.
Reviews
According to reviews, many married couples who were prescribed treatment for asthenozoospermia managed to become pregnant within the first three months from the start of therapy. If this does not happen, you should not despair, because about 30% of cases of successful conception occur during the second three months.
The systematic intake of vitamins and dietary supplements is not easily given to unnecessary men. Therefore, the woman must follow the treatment process, otherwise the husband will simply forget about taking the pill or the next examination.
For information on how to treat asthenozoospermia, see the next video.
