I am 29 and my husband is 35. We got married three years ago but have no children yet. We consulted a Gynaecologist. It was found that semen count of my husband is very less ( 3 million with no active sperm). My ovary has cysts which the doctor says are common. I want to know whether cyst formation is a very serious problem and if my husband’s semen count can be increased and his sperm become active.

Hi Ramas

Sorry to hear that you are so sad about your fertility problems. Low sperm count (Angiosperm) is one of the main causes of male infertility. It is considered that a man has low sperm count when he has less than 20 million spermatozoa per one ml of ejaculate.
A great number of medical conditions as well as many biologic and environmental factors can cause low sperm count temporarily or permanently. Unfortunately, reliable treatments for increasing sperm count are not as many.
Some commonly used medications and supplements for increasing sperm count are testosterone, certain vitamins, high-protein diets, anti-oxidants, and herbal semen enhancement pills. The effectiveness of most of these has not been clinically tested; yet, there are some quality semen enhancement pills that show significant results in improving both sperm count and quality. An example of such a quality semen enhancer is Volume Pills.

If semen analysis shows such low count and no motility – you need to rule out if the test was done soon after an illness (Typhoid, malaria etc), mental and physical stress and strain or while using some drugs etc. If so give a gap of 2-3 months. During this 2-3 months let him regularize his diet (fiber containing food, fruits, vegetables, sprouted seeds etc), have proper mental and physical rest. If the problem persists even after this he must be investigated for:
1. Ultrasound scanning to rule out large Varicocele or Hydrocele
2. Hormone analysis FSH, LH and Prolactin
3. Semen Culture sensitivity to rule out any infection.
4. Antisperm antibody in serum and semen to rule out immunological factors.
5. Sperm function test to know the functional capacity of sperm i.e, Acrosome, nucleus, mid piece, tail etc.,

If a cause is found, treatment is targeted accordingly. Otherwise empirical medical treatment can be tried for 3-6 months. If there is improvement, natural intercourse or IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination), or IVF (Invitro Fertilization) / ICSI-ET (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection – Embryo Transfer) in that order can be proceeded till a conception is achieved. In ICSI even a non-motile sperm, if otherwise having viable genetic material, can be used for achieving fertilization, a viable embryo and an embryo transfer.

Regarding the ovarian cyst – you did not mention how big the cysts are. Small cysts are functional cysts. They disappear on their own. If there is no ovulation, you can have Ultrasonograph guided cyst aspiration.

Yes there are a lot of things that you need to look at when dealing with this sort of a problem and one of the things that can help on a very basic level is to look at your diet for the man and to watch that clothes are not too tight and that the testes are kept cool, not very hot baths etc. The medical world also has a lot to offer and you should go for consultations with a fertility expert to work out the best course of action for you.

I wonder how you are getting on with this now Ramas? I was reading all the advice posted here and I think there must have been something for Ramas to get going with, perhaps she would let us know if there has been any light at the end of the tunnel. I have a friend who went to a fertility specialist and did get the result she wanted, a bouncing baby boy!