Teratospermia is the presence of abnormal sperm in a man’s semen, which can affect fertility. Treatment options include medication and assisted reproduction, and a doctor can diagnose the condition through a microscope examination. Underlying diseases and hormonal imbalances can cause teratospermia, but it is not usually associated with genetic abnormalities.
Teratospermia is the presence of a large number of sperm cells with an abnormal appearance in a man’s semen. When more than 40% of the sperm has malformations, it can interfere with fertility and the man may have problems getting his partner pregnant. There are several treatment options, depending on the underlying cause. A fertility specialist can meet with patients to discuss the best approach to treatment given their situation and ultimate goals.
A doctor can diagnose this condition by examining a sample under a microscope. Malformed sperm will be easily visible, and your doctor can determine its concentrations. When just a handful of sperm have an unusual appearance, they may not pose a serious barrier to fertility. Your doctor may also conduct some other tests to assess sperm quality, such as assessing sperm motility to see if sperm can successfully reach an egg. The patient may have a combination of problems, not just teratospermia, that make it difficult to get pregnant.
Sometimes the cause of teratospermia is an underlying disease such as celiac disease. Metabolic and hormonal imbalances are common culprits, as they can interfere with the sperm maturation process and can create abnormalities such as unusually large or small heads or malformed tails. The doctor may recommend some tests to learn more about the situation, as well as review the patient’s medical record for any signs in his medical history that could provide clues. In other cases, it may be difficult to determine why the sperm cells are malformed.
Medications can help with teratospermia. Anti-estrogens are one line of treatment that a doctor may consider to see if sperm can be encouraged to follow a normal course of maturation. In other cases, your doctor may recommend the use of assisted reproduction. It may be possible to take a sperm sample, select viable sperm, and manually implant it into the egg. The egg should fertilize and develop normally.
Patients with this condition can discuss it with a doctor and their partners to decide how they want to proceed. Teratospermia is not usually associated with genetic abnormalities. The problem lies solely in the shape of the sperm cells, not in the DNA they contain. Your doctor may run some tests to determine if there are separate concerns about congenital conditions, such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, in which fertilized embryos are evaluated for common genetic disorders. This test can help your doctor avoid implanting an embryo that will not survive a full pregnancy.
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