Azoospermia

Azoospermia affects about 1% of all men and up to 15% of infertile men. It is classified as obstructive (sperm are produced but blocked from reaching the ejaculate, often by vasectomy or congenital absence of the vas deferens) or non-obstructive (impaired sperm production in the testes).

Diagnosis requires two separate semen analyses. Further workup includes hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone), genetic testing (karyotype, Y-chromosome microdeletion), and sometimes testicular biopsy. Obstructive cases can often be treated surgically; non-obstructive cases may require sperm retrieval (TESE or micro-TESE) for use with ICSI.