Teratospermia or teratozoospermia is a condition characterized by the presence of
sperm with abnormal
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
* Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
* Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...
that affects
fertility
Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...
in males.
Causes
The causes of teratozoospermia are unknown in most cases. However,
Hodgkin's disease,
coeliac disease
Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...
, and
Crohn's disease may contribute in some instances. Lifestyle and habits (smoking, toxin exposure, etc.) can also cause poor morphology.
Varicocele is another condition that is often associated with decreased normal forms (morphology).
In cases of
globozoospermia
Globozoospermia is a rare and severe form of monomorphic teratozoospermia. This means that the spermatozoa show the same abnormality, and over 85% of spermatozoa in sperm have this abnormality. Globozoospermia is responsible for less than 0.1% of m ...
(sperm with round heads), the
Golgi apparatus
The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles ...
is not transformed into the
acrosome The acrosome is an organelle that develops over the anterior (front) half of the head in the spermatozoa (sperm cells) of many animals including humans. It is a cap-like structure derived from the Golgi apparatus. In placental mammals the acrosome ...
that is needed for
fertilization.
Symptoms and treatment
The presence of abnormally-shaped sperm can negatively affect fertility by preventing transport through the
cervix and/or preventing sperm from adhering to the
ovum. Achieving a pregnancy may be difficult.
In testing for teratozoospermia, sperm are collected, stained and analyzed under a microscope to detect abnormalities. These abnormalities may include heads that are large, small, tapered, or pyriform or tails that are abnormally shaped.
Antiestrogen
Antiestrogens, also known as estrogen antagonists or estrogen blockers, are a class of drugs which prevent estrogens like estradiol from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or ...
s have been shown to be effective in the treatment of teratozoospermia.
Teratozoospermia (including the ''globozoospermia''
type), may be treated by
intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) is an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in which a single sperm cell is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an egg. This technique is used in order to prepare the gametes for the obtention of em ...
(ICSI), injecting sperm directly into the egg.
Once the egg is fertilized, abnormal sperm morphology does not appear to influence
blastocyst development or blastocyst morphology.
[ Even with severe teratozoospermia, microscopy can still detect the few sperm cells that have a "normal" morphology, allowing for optimal success rate.][
]
See also
* Male infertility
*Semen quality
Semen quality is a measure of male fertility, a measure of the ability of sperm in semen to accomplish fertilization. Semen quality involves both sperm quantity and quality
Cryptorchidism, hypospadias, testicular cancer and poor semen quali ...
References
External links
teratozoospermia.net
{{Male diseases of the pelvis and genitals
Testicular infertility factors