Low Sperm Count

In many cases, it's not obvious what causes a low sperm count.

Sometimes problems with sperm count and quality are associated with:

• ahormone imbalance, such as hypogonadism (reduced hormone production)
• a genetic problem such as XXY (Klinefelter syndrome)
• having had undescended testicles as a baby
• astructural problem for example, the tubes that carry sperm being damaged and blocked by illness or injury, or being absent from birth
• a genital infection such as chlamydia , gonorrhoea or prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland)
• varicoceles (enlarged veins in the testicles)
• previous surgery tothe testicles or hernia repairs
• the testicles becoming overheated
• excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and using drugs such as marijuana or cocaine
• certain medications, including testosterone replacement therapy, long-term anabolic steroid use , cancer medications (chemotherapy), some antibiotics and some antidepressants