Does azoospermia improve by taking vitamins?

Azoospermia is the total absence of spermatozoa in the ejaculate. The first thing to know is what type of azoospermia we are dealing with.

There are three types of azoospermia depending on the compartment affected:

• Pretesticular causes: also called secondary testicular failure, are usually due to endocrine conditions such as hypogonadism (lack of sex hormone production), hyperprolactinemia or androgen resistance. These causes are usually correctable with medication.
• Testicular causes: are usually due to alterations in the testicle itself: varicocele, undescended testicles, orchitis, testicular torsion, toxins or medications, genetic disorders.
• Post-testicular causes: are those in which the ejaculate fails to exit through the urethra to the outside. The causes can be very diverse: absence or obstruction of vas deferens, epididymal obstruction or erectile dysfunction.

In most azoospermia, medical or surgical treatment is necessary, or spermatozoa can be extracted from the testicle for use in in vitro fertilization techniques.

Vitamins are not the treatment of choice and do not reverse azoospermia but they can probably help sperm quality, although there is no scientific evidence to prove it.