Q: The semen analysis report of my 38 years old husband showed - volume < 0.5 ml, count - 4 million/ml, sluggish 50%, non motile 50%; impression - oligoasthenozoospermia. The doctor has prescribed Carnitor and Absolut for 3 months. What are my chances for regular conception?

A:Your husband has low sperm count and poor motility in the semen, called oligoasthenospermia. The chances of conception at these readings are bleak (without assisted fertilisation methods). There can be lot of reasons resulting in the same outcome. If you take similarity to a factory producing sperms, there can be poor raw material (testis having poor germ cells), defect in machinery (defective formation processes in the testis) or a transport problem (problems occurring during the transport of sperms from testis to outside). Hormonal profile tells us about the health of germ cells in testis. A testicular biopsy details the sperm forming processes in the testis. An ultrasound and doppler examination of the testis tests the environment outside the testis. Varicocele of scrotum is one of the cause affecting the third segment, the transport mechanism. The physician urologist looking after your husband would work in these details to find the cause and will assist your husband with the treatment and prognosticate the outcome properly.