Sperm count is considered lower than normal if you have fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen.
You should consult an
infertility specialist if you have been having difficult conceiving after a year or more of regular,
unprotected intercourse, of if he has any erectile or ejaculatory or libido issues.
The causes are of
oligospermia are varied, hence your husband needs to be evaluated physically by a specialist and the treatment options range from surgery to medications to ART ( assisted reproductive technology ).
The chances of spontaneous natural conception are drastically reduced with a low semen count and reduced motility.
Moreover,
For IUI (
intrauterine insemination ) to succeed, it is estimated that a count of over one million washed sperm is necessary. When the sperm count is less than 5-10 million, resulting
pregnancy rates are significantly lower. Conversely, success rates are higher with washed counts of over 20-30 million.
IUI success rates range from as low as 6 - 8 % to upto 26 - 30 %. Various factors such as the semen count, age of the couple, the drugs used and the technical ability of the centre - they all influence the success rate. For a low semen count, success rate is obviously low.
Donor sperm is required for
azoospermia ( absence of sperms ) or if the semen count is drastically low (
Even for very low sperm counts, you can go for other ART methods like IVF or ICSI , if your finances allow you.
Hope this helped you.