Low sperm count i.e. oligospermia, is one of the major causes of infertility among couples trying to conceive. While female infertility is thought to be the most common cause of childlessness, male infertility is also as common as female infertility. As a matter of fact, male infertility accounts for one-third and female infertility also accounts for one-third of couple childlessness while the rest of the proportion is due to a problem with both partners. Low sperm count in men can be diagnosed through semen analysis, which involves looking into the numbers of sperms present in the semen and the morphology of sperms. Even though only one sperm is needed for fertilization, the male counterpart produces millions of sperms per ejaculate. So, whenever the sperms are low in number, then the chances of fertilization are lower and it decreases as lesser and lesser sperms are observed in the ejaculate.
Can You Still Get Pregnant With Low Sperm Count?
How you can conceive with low sperm count? There are many couples who have been faced with infertility as a result of low sperm count. On the other hand, there are also couples who have been able to conceive despite being faced with this challenge. So, it is possible for a female partner to get pregnant even though their male partner has a low sperm count. Many people believe that men with low sperm count cannot get a woman pregnant but that is not always the case, as long as the sperms are healthy and have the fertilizing power, conception can be achieved. However, it might take a while to get pregnant.
One important factor that should be considered when a couple is trying to conceive is timing. That is the timing with regards to the female’s ovulation cycle, whereby chances of pregnancy are higher during the peak of ovulation. Men with low sperm count are advised to engage in sex regularly, so as to increase the numbers of viable sperms being released. In addition to that, the man should ensure he eats a healthy diet, exercises frequently, get treated for any underlying conditions; avoid any lifestyle choices that would interfere with normal sperm production.
Understanding Why A Man Needs Many Sperms
When a man ejaculates, an estimated 250 million sperms are released and deposited into the female vagina. From there, the sperms swim towards the fallopian tube where fertilization takes place. Out of the millions of sperms released, only a couple hundred of them get to the fallopian tubes and out of those hundred, only one penetrates the ova to fertilize it. The many sperms released usually produce an enzyme which clears the path to the ova. So, in short, a man will produce many sperms per ejaculate to increase the chances of pregnancy as well as clear the path to the ova. Provided that the sperm that reaches the ova first is viable, fertilization will take place and the egg can move downwards to the uterus for implantation.
Sperm Quality And Importance On Fertilization
In semen analysis, other than sperm quantity, sperm quality is also examined. This is because it plays a vital role in fertilization in that for a sperm to fertilize the egg, it needs to have a normal shape, have speed and motility to swim towards the fallopian tube. As much as sperm count matter, sperm quality is also important. This is simply because, even though the sperms are plenty, what would be the essence if they cannot fertilize the egg? A sperm needs to have a normal shape including a head for penetrating the egg and a tail for swimming. A normal healthy sperm is usually 5-6 micrometers long and 2½ -3½ micrometers wide. Sperms also need the ability to propel themselves or rather swim towards the fallopian tube, which is what is referred to as motility.
The simple answer to whether you can get pregnant with low sperm count is yes. However, that is dependent on several factors such as the sperm quality in terms of morphology and motility, the timing of ovulation for the female and frequency of sexual activity at that time. In addition to that, the couple must be patient since it takes a little while longer to conceive than in couples who have no fertility issues.
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