Is a vasectomy still possible to become a father? 5 culprits that make sperm weak

Deficiency of sex hormones, unbalanced nutrition, frequent exposure to toxic environments, and diseases are the factors that make the "sperm" weak.

According to Doctor Doan Ngoc Thien (Department of Andrology, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City), weak sperm is a condition in which both quality and quantity decline. Specifically, the percentage of motile sperm is less than 30%, the percentage of live sperm is less than 54%. Each ejaculation, the amount of semen is usually less than 1.4 mml, the sperm count is less than 40 million. Weak sperm greatly affects the success of the conception process, increasing the risk of infertility in couples.

Any problem that occurs in sperm production has the potential to affect the quality and quantity. Doctor Ngoc Thien points out a negative impact factor as follows.

Testosterone deficiency : Testosterone plays an important role in affecting sertoli cells to produce sperm. Therefore, if the body is deficient in testosterone, it will directly affect, reduce the quality, quantity as well as motility of the "sperm". Thereby, affecting the ability to conceive, causing infertility.

Testosterone deficiency often occurs in men after the age of 30 due to internal aging and external influences such as stress, sedentary lifestyle, imbalanced diet, overweight, obesity... Normal testosterone levels in the blood are 10-35 nanomol/liter.

Excessive alcohol use is one of the causes of low sperm count. Photo: Freepik

Temperature in the genital organs : The ideal temperature for testes to produce sperm is 2 degrees Celsius lower than the body. If this sensitive area is at high temperature, it can reduce spermatogenesis as well as the possibility of sperm malformations. is very high. High temperatures also damage the sperm's DNA. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), men with a fever above 38.5 degrees Celsius can inhibit spermatogenesis for 6 months. To protect fertility, men should not wear clothes that are too tight, do not sit for too long in one position, should not leave a phone or laptop for a long time on their lap to work, causing the scrotal temperature to rise more than normal.

Unscientific diet : Unbalanced diet, poor menu, deficiency of important nutrients and vitamins such as: A, E, amino acids, Omega 3, zinc... can affect directly to the production process, leading to weak sperm. Besides, the habit of using a lot of alcohol, tobacco, stimulants, foods that are likely to be contaminated with mercury or lead, toxic substances from pesticides, herbicides.... spermatogenesis and even male infertility.

Effects from the environment : If you live in an environment with high-intensity radiation sources, it can damage the spermatozoa, or can damage chromosomes, leading to irreversible infertility or cause infertility. deformities in the next generation. In addition, low or high frequency magnetic field sources from household appliances, industrial electricity... can also adversely affect the spermatogenesis process.

Diseases or side effects of drugs : Inflammatory diseases of the genital organs such as orchitis, epididymitis, complications caused by mumps or bacteria, gonorrhea, syphilis... cause the temperature to rise, leading to the formation of anti-sperm antibodies can cause spermatogenic epithelium to be destroyed, testes to atrophy, leading to infertility.

In addition, if a man has kidney failure, liver failure, cancer, autoimmune diseases... will also inhibit, possibly reduce or stop spermatogenesis in the testicles (if ever had surgery, or are in the process of being pregnant. chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.). In addition to diseases, the use of certain therapeutic drugs can affect this production process such as hormone drugs, chemicals in cancer treatment...

Doctor Ngoc Thien is examining a patient. Photo: Provided by the hospital

To accurately assess the health of the sperm , men need to visit a doctor, let the doctor check the clinical symptoms, external genitalia, as well as take the patient's medical history as well as sexual activity habits. sex.

In addition, the patient may be subjected to a semen analysis. If there is an abnormality, the doctor may order some more tests such as testicular ultrasound, testicular biopsy , prostate ultrasound, urine test after ejaculation to detect the condition. Retrograde ejaculation or not, doctor Ngoc Thien added.

Is a vasectomy still possible to become a father?
I am 32 years old, have a two-year-old child, and do not want to have more children because the economy is not stable. I plan to have my second baby in 3-4 years.

I want a vasectomy so that my wife doesn't have to take birth control pills. If so, will I still have a chance to become a father, will my sexual ability, emotions be affected? ( Thanh Ba, HCMC )

Reply:

A vasectomy, also known as male sterilization, is a procedure that prevents sperm from passing through the vas deferens. This means that when a man ejaculates, the semen will not contain sperm, so the woman cannot conceive. This method is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

If you want to have children again, you must have surgery to reconnect the vas deferens. However, this surgery is not easy and is not always successful. This depends on how long the vasectomy has been in place, the longer the vasectomy the lower the chance of reattachment. There are cases of successful surgery but still unable to father children. Therefore, when deciding to have a vasectomy, you must determine that you are no longer having children or can store sperm before the procedure.

Doctor Long is examining a patient. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

A vasectomy does not affect a man's health or sexual ability . Sexual ability in men depends on the sex hormone testosterone. This hormone is produced mainly in the testicles (95%) and the adrenal glands (5%). After a vasectomy, your testicles continue to produce testosterone as they did before the procedure.

So your sex drive, sensation and ability to get an erection will not be affected. The only difference is that there will be no sperm in the semen. Your body still produces sperm, but they are absorbed back into the body without harm.

A vasectomy is usually performed under local or general anesthesia, depending on the case. It takes about 30-45 minutes to perform, and the complication rate is less than 1%. However, after the procedure, men will experience some discomfort, some may experience swelling and bruising in the scrotum for a few days or ejaculate a few times. During this time, men should avoid sports and heavy lifting for at least a week to prevent complications.

Men should abstain from sexual activity for at least 7 days and should not give up birth control for at least the first 8 to 12 weeks, as it takes time to eliminate all remaining sperm in the vas deferens. After about three months, you go to the doctor for a sperm test and should only have sex without other methods of contraception when there is a conclusion from the doctor.