Q: I am a 30 years old man who underwent semen analysis, which showed: quantity - 2.5 ml, colour -greyish white, viscosity - thick, liquefaction time - 30 min, reaction - alkaline, sperm count-occasional motile sperm seen, pus cells - 2-3/HPF, RBC – nil and epithelial cells – nil. What does this report mean? Can I father a child?

A:You have severe oligospermia (very few sperms) in semen analysis. Please repeat the semen analysis in a couple of weeks to see if it is the same. If it is, you need to be evaluated by an urologist. Most common identifiable cause of an abnormality in semen parameters is varicocoele (enlargement of testicular veins). Your doctor can do additional blood tests, scrotal ultrasound to determine other causes. Natural conception with such a low sperm count is possible, but rare. You can, however, become a father if the sperm is sufficient for artificial reproduction with IVF and your wife has no identifiable cause of infertility.