The Fertility Center of Las Vegas

Azoospermia can cause a semen analysis to reveal no sperm count

If you’ve had a semen analysis and it found that you have no sperm count, you might think it’s a mistake. However, about 1% of all men have a condition called azoospermia, which is a lack of sperm in the semen. In patients facing male infertility, this number is even higher at 10-15%. While you might feel discouraged, the team at The Fertility Center of Las Vegas (FCLV) can help. Our Las Vegas fertility doctors have the knowledge, experience and resources to help men overcome this infertility cause.

What are the types of azoospermia?

The male reproductive system is complex. It includes several components, and each plays an important role in making conception possible.

  • The brain makes reproductive hormones.
  • The testes produce sperm.
  • The epididymis moves the mature sperm.
  • The vas deferens moves the sperm past the seminal vesicles and prostate gland to collect seminal fluid and form semen.
  • The urethra allows the semen to exit from the vas deferens.

Problems that occur in any of these areas can result in male infertility and azoospermia. Our Las Vegas fertility doctors find that most causes of this condition fall into one of three groups.

  • Non-obstructive, pre-testicular causes. Issues with the production of sex hormones can prevent the testes from making sperm. Certain syndromes and problems with the hypothalamus or pituitary gland in the brain can be responsible.
  • Non-obstructive, testicular causes. These defects in the testes’ structure or function can cause a man to have no sperm count. Some common examples include undescended testicles, injury, surgery, a varicocele, diabetes, cancer treatment and certain medications including testosterone and steroids.
  • Obstructive, post-testicular causes. This issue occurs in about 40% of men with no sperm count. Specific causes can include an obstruction in the male reproductive tract, an absence of vas deferens, infection, injury or a vasectomy.

How do doctors diagnose and treat no sperm count?

Our Las Vegas fertility doctors can diagnose this condition with a medical history and a simple semen analysis. If a semen analysis, on two separate occasions, doesn’t find any sperm cells, then a man likely has azoospermia. The medical history will help the doctor determine why the man might have the condition.

The treatment for no sperm count varies depending on the cause. For example, hormone treatments can help if the man has low hormone levels. In contrast, minimally invasive surgery from a urologist can treat the obstructive form of the condition.

To help patients conceive, our fertility doctors use in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using sperm retrieved from the testes. This treatment is highly effective when patients are facing severe male infertility.

Contact us if you would like to learn more about getting treatment for male infertility. Our experienced fertility doctors are here to support you on the path to parenthood.