extremley low sperm count - Men's Health Message Board

movingparts1 · 09-08-2003, 12:49 PM

Boy howdy I hope I'm not the only one with this problem!!! I have recently discovered that I have testicular atrophy (dead) in the right testicle and a (please pardon the spelling) veracoseal in the right. This is a condition causing the devolopment of extra blood vessals to the testical and makes the testical too warm to produce properly. The end result is a low and "lazy" sperm count. My wife and I are desprate for childern and this has rendered me unable to sire! I can have surgury to correct this but there is no guarentee and it could take up to 2 years before any if any results show. I and my wife are in our mid 30's and the clock is ticking!! If anyone has a suggestion or know of a natural remedy, I'm all ears.
God bless and thanks!

focus · 09-08-2003, 01:20 PM

First off, have you seen a doctor about this yet? How do you know your right testicle is 'dead' as you put it?

I had a varicocele corrected by surgery about 4 years ago on my left testicle. I also had some atrophy (shrinking) of the left testicle caused by the restricted blood flow from the varicocele. In my case however, my sperm count was normal even before my surgery, and probably only improved even more after the surgery, although I didn't have a follow up test done. More importantly, my left testicle grew back to its normal size within a year or two after the surgery. It wasn't atrophied too much before the surgery, but noticeable. I would say my left testicle was about 80% of the size of the right. Now it is the same size as the right.

At this point, surgery is your best option. You really have nothing to lose by going with the surgery if you are already infertile. The worst case is there will be no change in your fertility, which makes you no worse off than you are now. Best case is you regain enough sperm count to be fertile. And there is a very high success rate with varicocele surgery returning sperm counts to normal. Varicoceles are the #1 cause of infertility in men, and also the easiest and most successful to treat.

So don't write everything off just yet. You still have options. Also, infertile doesn't mean sterile. You are still producing healthy sperm - just not enough of them. You can still be a father with your own sperm - it just may take some time, or the help of artificial insemination or fertility drugs.

But again, if you haven't seen a urologist about this yet, that is your first step. There are no natural remedies for this - if you're getting testicular atrophy, surgery is the only way to help it. Having had the surgery, I can tell you first hand it is really no big deal - its minor surgery, an out-patient procedure, its safe, and its relatively low pain.

movingparts1 · 09-08-2003, 01:41 PM

focus
Thanks for the 411! The Dr. I saw was a uroglist. He said my left boy was normal sized. My right twin is the dead one. I do have sperm however. Very little but I am producing. Everyone has said that I'll never sire with this low a count though. I have left it in Gods hands and am praying 100X a day for a blessing. However I am begining to think surgury is the only option. He did say however that he felt that very little good will come from it. Is this fact? Ive also heard that cooling the twins down befor intercourse will help. Any thoughts?

Darkfur · 09-08-2003, 04:27 PM

I don't think God will mind if you go ahead with the surgery. I hope it's as easy and effective as Focus says. Wish you the best.

Cooling "the boys" before intercourse I doubt makes any difference. Sperm are constantly being produced. There are millions of them inside your testicle right now, in each different stage of development. It takes weeks for a sperm cell to mature I believe.

What might help - and maybe someone can verify or disprove this fact (because I am not sure) - is to plan your intercourse times. You need to do it when she is most fertile. You should abstain from ejaculating starting a few days before that time.

I know when getting a sperm count done I was told to abstain from ejaculating for more than 2 but less than 7 days before producing the sample. That probably helps create the most "fertile" load possible.

focus · 09-09-2003, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by movingparts1:
He said my left boy was normal sized. My right twin is the dead one.

He didn't say the right testicle was "dead" did he? I haven't heard of a varicocele killing off a testicle completely. And if a testicle is completely dead, doctors usually recommend removal of the dead testicle.

It may not be producing sperm, or not much, but I doubt its completely dead.

Quote:

I do have sperm however. Very little but I am producing. Everyone has said that I'll never sire with this low a count though.

What is your count? Considering your left testicle is OK, it shouldn't be too extremely low.

Quote:

However I am begining to think surgury is the only option. He did say however that he felt that very little good will come from it. Is this fact?

Nobody knows for sure unless you try it. Even your doctor can't tell you for a fact if the surgery will regain your fertility or not. Its possible that it will provided that your right testicle is still alive. If its completely dead, as in producing no sperm at all, then yeah, I agree, the varicocele surgery probably won't help.

Otherwise, there's a good chance the surgery will do a world of good for your situation. I've heard many miracle stories of fertility coming back strong after varicocele surgery.

Quote:

Ive also heard that cooling the twins down befor intercourse will help. Any thoughts?

That's not going to matter. Sperm production takes place over several months, not right before you ejaculate.