Male Fertility
About 30% of the patient’s partners have fertility issues concerning testicular, structural and sperm factors.
1. The testosterone and sperm conditions can also be affected by factors and histories such as:
Infection: STD, glandular infection, mumps
Varicocele: dilated vein draining blood from testicle
Blockage of ejaculatory ducts
Auto-immune response: immune system antibodies attacking the sperm.
2. The factors analyzed in the sperm tests and key findings are:
Motility: sperm’s ability to swim towards the egg. (50%)
Morphology: shape & structure of the sperm (50 to 70%)
Liquefaction: the liquefying rate of the semen so that sperm can swim (of less than 30 minutes)
Count: usually requires 25 – 250M/ml
Volume: amount of semen per ejaculation (need at least 6 cc)
3. In TCM diagnosis, above factors of the sperm can be related as follows;
Low volume and liquefaction: Kidney Yin Deficiency
Low motility and count: Kidney Yang Deficiency
Abnormal rate of morphology : Blood stasis
Auto-immune response: Toxicity in the Qi/ Blood/ Fluid system.
In these days of stress and lifestyle, including diet patterns, these factors usually play large role affecting the condition of Liver which is responsible for detoxing and circulation mechanism of Qi & Blood. Therefore, balancing and detoxing the liver is usually the first step before tonifying the Yin & Yang aspect of the Kidney, which is the most important organ affecting the sperm quality. Quite often, sperm count alone is increased 10 times with a cycle of treatment with acupuncture and herbal formulas.