Q: My 27 years old friend's sperm count is zero. He is married for the last five. Is there any chance that he could father a child?

A:The absence of sperms in semen, also called azospermia may be due to many reasons. Your friend is still young (27 years).

He should consult a urologist who is specialized in male infertility. A detailed history, examinations and blood tests including hormone tests etc will need to be done. Azospermia may be obstructive or non obstructive. In case of obstructive azospermia, surgery may be needed. In non obstructive azospermia, micro TESE (Testicular Sperm Extraction) may be needed for sperm retrieval which can be used for ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection). If these methods fail or are not feasible, then fertilization may also be tried by donor sperm. The above mentioned procedures are done in collaboration with Urologist, Gynaecologist, Embryologist etc in a fertility clinic.