Generally speaking, couples are considered infertile after about a year of trying to conceive with unprotected sex. Crossing the invisible line into the infertility world can be overwhelming and intimidating. Aside from feeling like pregnancy announcements are posted everywhere you look, you may worry about your overall health and not know what to do next.
You’re not alone. Some 12 to 13 in 100 couples experience infertility. Up to 50 percentTrusted Source of these cases can be attributed to what’s called male-factor infertility. Azoospermia is a possible cause, which is marked by a total lack of sperm in the semen. While rare, about 1 percentTrusted Source of men have azoospermia, and it’s the root of between 10 to 15 percentTrusted Source of infertility cases.
Here’s a quick lesson in how the body works: Sperm is made in the testicles. It travels through the reproductive tract and mixes with the fluid that’s found in the seminal ducts. Together, the sperm and this fluid make semen —- the thick, white ejaculate that comes out of the penis.
With azoospermia, the sperm is taken out of the equation. You may have ejaculate, but it doesn’t contain sperm. You may be familiar with the term “low sperm count” — but azoospermia, on the other hand, is referred to as “no sperm count.”