Teratozoospermia, also called teratospermia is a change in the qualitative composition of sperm, in which the vast majority of spermatozoa have abnormal morphology. Therefore, teratospermia is considered a cause of male infertility due to spermatic factors.
What is teratozoospermia?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, a man is diagnosed with teratozoospermia if more than 96% of his sperm have abnormal morphology (defects in the head, midsection, or tail). Counting sperm with good or poor morphology is done using a diagnostic test called a spermogram , which visualizes the structure of the sperm under a microscope.
What are the causes of teratozoospermia?
Teratozoospermia refers to male infertility because the sperm that reaches the egg cannot fertilize it due to poor morphology. The causes of deformed sperm in male semen are varied and difficult to diagnose . These include: genetic changes; chemotherapy and radiation therapy; testicular trauma; orchitis; diabetes; alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse; exposure to toxic substances.
Types of defects in teratozoospermia
Defects found in sperm morphology are classified according to their location in the head, neck or tail. However, to diagnose teratospermia, all changes are taken into account as a whole. A spermatozoon is considered normal if it has an oval-shaped head and an acrosome inside. The neck or midsection is slightly thicker than the tail, and finally the tail is elongated rather than curled.
By analyzing the morphology of spermatozoa using a spermogram , it is possible to determine the type of teratozoospermia . For this, the Kruger criteria are used and teratospermia is classified into three degrees: mild teratozoospermia - 10% to 14% of spermatozoa with normal morphology. Moderate Teratozoospermia - the percentage of normal sperm is from 5% to 9%. Severe teratozoospermia - less than 5% of sperm have normal morphology.
defects in sperm of all three types can be detected in the same sperm sample . The teratospermia index will indicate which of the three types of defects is more common.
How to get pregnant?
In the event that pregnancy does not occur in a couple, medical advice should be followed to try to restore good sperm morphology. On the other hand, if teratospermia has a genetic cause or is congenital, it will be more difficult to find a cure.
If necessary, artificial insemination (AI) must be used, provided that sperm concentration and motility are not altered. This is the first option to consider if the woman has no fertility problems and the only reason preventing pregnancy is teratozoospermia .
On the other hand, in case of moderate or severe teratozoospermia or other changes causing infertility, it will be necessary to perform IVF-ICSI. It is a method of in vitro fertilization that uses intracytoplasmic sperm injection to fertilize eggs.
Can teratozoospermia cause miscarriage? In principle, poor sperm morphology does not lead to miscarriage after fertilization of the egg and implantation of the embryo. Another case is that sperm, in addition to poor morphology, may have genetic changes that cause miscarriage.
How to improve sperm quality? Some men who give up habits such as tobacco or alcohol and eat a healthy diet, including foods rich in antioxidants and essential amino acids such as L-carnitine (fatty fish), notice an improvement in their sperm quality after about 3 months.
