Treatment of Teratozoospermia

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Treatment of Teratozoospermia

Once a diagnosis has been made, your Doctor will recommend one (or a combination) of the following treatment options for teratozoospermia:

• Expectant management
• Lifestyle modification
• Medication
• Surgery
• Supplements
• Assisted Reproductive Technology

Expectant Management

Expectant management means watchful waiting. This can be an option for males diagnosed with teratozoospermia, especially if:

• the male patient is young, has normal sperm count and motility, been trying to conceive less than 24 months, and diagnosed as idiopathic (unknown) infertility.
• the female partner is also young and not diagnosed with any female infertility factors.

In cases of severe teratozoospermia (or 0% normal sperm morphology), a comparative study showed 25% of men diagnosed with severe teratozoospermia successfully fathered their first child naturally over a period of 2.5 years. This compared to 52% of control men with normal sperm quality over the same period. For reference, males with severe teratozoospermia in this study also had, on average, abnormal sperm count (18.9 million) and total motility (29.1%) results.
_{Source: Kovac J R, et al. (2017)}

Lifestyle Modification

Although there is limited evidence that lifestyle changes can directly improve male fertility, according to derivable evidence experts suggest that the following lifestyle changes can maximise the chances of conceiving:

• Quitting smoking
• Limiting alcohol consumption
• Reducing weight if obese
• Regular exercise to stay in good shape
• Consuming a healthy and balanced diet
• Avoiding lubricants during intercourse

Obesity is consistently linked to poor sperm quality including lower percentages of normal sperm morphology. In the only study of its kind, 43 obese males (BMI > 33kg/m²) participated in a 14 week weight loss program. At the end of the program, obese males who managed to lose at least 12% of body weight significantly increased testosterone and SHBG levels leading to improved sperm parameters. In fact, males who managed to lose the most weight (>17%) significantly increased normal sperm morphology (+4%) beyond the WHO lower limit.
_{Source: Hakonsen L B, et al. (2011)}

However, exercise where possible should be done in moderation to minimise the impact of increased oxidant levels, caused by an increased consumption of oxygen from the skeletal muscles, on the natural balance of oxidants and antioxidants in the body. In this regard low-intensity exercise was shown minimise the percentage of abnormal sperm, compared to high-intensity exercise (17.4 vs 25.1%), in a controlled rat study. The alternative to changing exercise routine may be as suggested to postpone ones fertility until exercise plan and goals are complete, oxidant / antioxidant levels have returned to normal and pre-existing sperm expelled (2-3 months).
_{Source: Hosseini M, et al. (2021)}