Azoospermia is a condition where there is ABSENCE of sperm in seminal fluid. Azoospermia is a diagnosis made on seminal fluid analysis ( SA ) after semen is analysedby the embryologist . About 40% of infertile couples are male related issues .
Azoospermia can be caused by a blockage of the vas deferens ( the tube that sperm pass through ) or reduced sperm production within the testes.. In these cases, we will attempt to retrieve sperm directly from the tubes or the testes via surgical sperm retrieval.
SSR is a good option for both types of Azoospermia ,Non – Obstructive and Obstructive types with chances of recovering sperm is around 30 – 40% and 90% respectively .
Ever Link Fertility Centre ALWAYS schedule sperm retrievals as the initial step before embarking on the IVF/ICSi treatment . This gives us time and a well planned IVF process to discuss alternative options, e.g. donor sperm, if there were no sperms retrieved during SSR .
Upon a successful sperm recovery , the sperm is frozen in straws for future use in an IVF with ICSI treatment . The success rate utilising frozen SSR sperm is similar to that of ICSI with ejaculated sperm .
Method Of SSR
SSR is a minor procedure carried out by our Fertility Specialist in the operating theatre under light General Anaesthesia with a combination of local anaesthetic injections . The whole SSR procedure takes less than 30 minutes and doesn’t require any admission.
The 2 common methods of SSR that has yield good results in Ever Link Fertility Centre are :
- PESA（经皮附睾精子抽吸术）：使用细针从附睾中抽吸精子，附睾是精子在睾丸中产生和成熟后储存的地方。
- TESA（睾丸精子抽吸术）：与PESA类似，但使用细针直接从睾丸中抽吸曲细精管（睾丸中精子附着的地方）。
如需了解更多关于SSR的信息，请预约我们的生育专家或联系我们。