Andrology is the study of male sexual function. It deals with problems related to sexual dysfunction (impotence) and male factor infertility.

Male sexual dysfunction (impotence; difficulty in achieving erection; premature ejaculation) is a widely prevelant problem. Men, especially in India, shirk from seeking help regarding these problems due to social taboos. These problems are curable especially with the availability of wide array of modern treatment modalities (medical and surgical).

Infertility due to male factor accounts for nearly 20 to 30% cases of infertility. Those couples with difficulty in conceiving can get the male fertility factor checked out by doing just a small test - the semen analysis. Those with male factor infertility can have decreased counts (called "oligospermia") or absent sperms (called "azoospermia"). There are some other abnormalities in sperm structure occasionally.

Most common surgically correctable cause of decreased sperm counts is a condition called "varicocele". This condition involves swelling of veins (the vessels that carry bad blood away) around the testicles which has a detrimental effect on sperm production. This condition can be treated surgically using a small 2.5 cm incision and microsurgical techniques. The improvement in sperm fuction takes about 6 months to 1 year. The improvement is seen in about 60% to 70% patients. Chances of pregnacy also improve significantly.

Azoospermia (absent sperms in semen) is a condition which could be caused by defect in sperm production in testicles (testicular failure) or blockage in the pathway of sperms (obstructive azoospermia). This is usually diagnosed with the help of a test - fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of testicles or occasionally a biopsy.

Those with testicular failure usually need to go in for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with guarded prognosis. However, those with obstructive azoospermia do have some hope in the form of surgical correction. A vasogram (contrast x-ray of the pathway of sperms) is done to determine the level of blockage in such men. Then depending upon the area of obstruction, a microsurgical reconstruction of blocked area is done. Two such operations are "vaso-vasal anastomosis" and "vaso-epididymal anastomosis". The success rates of these operations are in the range of 60% to 80%. Pregnancy rates are about 50%, i.e., those undergoing these procedures have 50% chance of having a baby by natural conception. In case someone opts for not undergoing surgery or if the surgery doesn't give the desired results, then in-vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF with ICSI) procedure is required. The latter procedure apart from being substantially expensive requires the involvement of female partner as well.

We at cosmo hospital are well equipped to deal with male sexual problems and infertility. We have state of the art operation theatre with latest equipment including operating microscope and microsurgical instruments.

Our consultant Andrologist:

Dr. Manish Ahuja (MS, MCh) is the consultant Urologist and Andrologist at our hospital. He has special expertise in managing patients with male sexual dysfunction and those with male factor infertility.