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Azoospermia is a condition in which there are no sperm observed
in the semen. More than half of azospermic men make sperm in
the testis that are either blocked from entering the semen (obstructive
azoospermia) or are too few in number to appear in the semen
(non-obstructive azoospermia).
When sperm are present, it is possible to establish pregnancy
in the partner using several assisted reproductive methods. Oftentimes, sperm can be withdrawn directly from the testicles and inserted into the egg using ICSI with IVF.
Testicular biopsy is a surgical procedure in which a piece of
the testicular tissue is removed. A referral to a urologic surgeon
is required.
When sperm are present in the biopsy they may be cryopreserved for subsequent attempts to fertilize the partners eggs using
in vitro fertilization (IVF). Because
the sperm will be few in number, eggs must be fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
The health of children conceived with testicular sperm is not
different from those conceived by other assisted reproductive
techniques. However, men with non-obstructive azoospermia my
have a genetic cause for their very low sperm production that
could be passed on to any male offspring.
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