Causes of increased semen viscosity and methods of treatment

Reproduction specialists note that over the past decade, cases of couples complaining about the inability to have a child have become much more frequent. By medical standards, infertility is defined as when a couple has been having regular, unprotected sex for more than a year without getting pregnant. Potential parents should undergo a series of examinations to determine the condition of the urinary organs and the degree of fertility. A woman is sent for a consultation with a gynecologist, ultrasound, all kinds of tests that require a lot of time and effort. But in the case of a man, everything is much simpler: he first needs to pass a spermogram - a laboratory analysis of the quality of the ejaculate.

Among the representatives of the stronger sex, it is still widely believed that their male abilities, in particular, fertility, depend on the amount of sperm released during ejaculation. In fact, this is absolutely wrong: it is not a matter of quantity, but of quality. If no more than one and a half milliliters are released, but at the same time, most of the spermatozoa are viable, mobile, and do not differ in morphological disorders, then the chances of conceiving a baby are much higher than those who have several times more sperm, but its indicators deviate from the norm.

In the first minute after ejaculation, semen coagulates and acquires a gel-like consistency. After twenty minutes - an hour, it liquefies, thanks to which the spermatozoa gain the freedom necessary to achieve their cherished goal. The viscosity of semen is determined by the action of the enzyme semenogelin, which is synthesized in the seminal vesicles. A prostate-specific antigen was found in the prostatic secretion that is part of the ejaculate, which has a proteolytic enzymatic effect on semenogelin, as a result of which the sperm liquefies.

How is a violation detected?

To determine the viscosity, a glass pipette is lowered into a drop of semen obtained an hour before, while slowly raising it to a certain height, a thread is pulled, the length of which before breaking indicates whether the patient has an increased viscosity of semen.

Increased viscosity of the ejaculate, or viscosopathy, occupies one of the first places among the violations of sperm parameters that make natural conception impossible. In a thick and viscous liquid, male germ cells cannot overcome the difficult path to the egg, because they have low mobility. Staying too long in the aggressive environment of the female vagina, most sperm die.

The following degrees of viscosity are distinguished, each of which differs in a certain thread length:

• Up to fifty millimeters is the norm.
• Sixty millimeters to a centimeter is a minor degree.
• Eleven to nineteen millimeters is a pronounced degree.
• Longer than two centimeters - very high viscosity.

Why viscosity increases

• Dehydration is one of the most common causes. Due to increased excretion of urine and sweat, the content of water in cells and tissues decreases sharply, which is manifested by thickening of secrets, including ejaculate. Dehydration is caused by overheating in the sauna or bath, drinking alcohol and excessive amounts of coffee, physical activity.
• Too many germ cells (polyzoospermia) - normally, this figure is equal to an average of one million sperm per milliliter of ejaculate. Increasing this value to more than one hundred and twenty million makes the semen more viscous. In addition, the ability to procreate noticeably decreases, since most of the sperm do not have sufficient mobility and viability, and have an irregular structure.
• The detection of a large number of leukocytes, erythrocytes, epithelial cells, mucus fragments in the ejaculate indicates an inflammatory process in the reproductive organs, causes an increase in the degree of viscosity, the acquisition of a repulsive odor and a yellow-green tint by the sperm.

What contributes to the violation?

Viscous sperm may be the result of exposure to such factors:

• Inflammation of the reproductive organs of a man - with an inflammatory lesion of the prostate gland (prostatitis), the viscosity increases due to the inhibition of the activity of the glandular epithelium that produces the secret, and the formation of its deficiency. Violation can occur with vesiculitis, epididymitis.
• Varicose lesions of the venous vessels of the testes and their appendages (varicocele), causing acute disorders of the blood supply to the reproductive organs. Studies have shown that varicocele is much more likely to cause an increase in viscosity than epididymitis, previously considered one of the main risk factors.
• Genetic factor - in some cases, excessive viscosity is an innate quality.If the germ cells are viable and active in such a patient, fertility can be restored.
• Age - viscosopathy is more common in older patients, and in young people it is possible to normalize an excessively high value without a course of therapy.
• Medications - steroids, anabolics and drugs of some other groups have a similar side effect.
• Improper nutrition - fatty, spicy, fried foods, semi-finished products contribute to an increase in the indicator.
• Lack of exercise, lack of physical activity.
• Overweight.

In almost half of patients, the cause of viscosopathy cannot be determined, and the disorder is regarded as idiopathic.

To assess the viscosity, the ejaculate liquefaction time is determined, which should not exceed sixty minutes. Even taking into account that the lower limit of this value has not been established, semen becoming liquid in a short time is also suspicious and is a reason to contact a specialist. If the viscosity has not increased within an hour, viscosopathy is diagnosed.

How can I help?

Regardless of the cause of viscosopathy, a man must adhere to a proper diet, excluding products that contribute to the violation from the menu. It should be limited, and it is better to refuse altogether, from the use of alcoholic beverages, strong coffee. To prevent dehydration, a person should drink about two liters of fluid per day.

When semen becomes excessively viscous due to inflammation, complex treatment is prescribed to eliminate it. Drug therapy includes antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a-blockers to relax the urethral canal (Alfuzosin, Tamsulosin). In addition, the patient is prescribed painkillers, antispasmodics.

Positive results in the treatment of chronic prostatitis, which causes an excessive increase in viscosity, are shown by the daily use of Vitaprost rectal suppositories in the morning and evening. The active ingredient of suppositories is an extract of the prostate gland of cattle.

In the early stages of varicocele development, blood circulation is improved with the help of vascular preparations Venorutin, Detralex and Phlebodia. In case of severe pathology, surgical treatment is performed.

In viscosopathy, including its idiopathic forms, improvement is noted when taking drugs that include the compound guaifenesin. These drugs (Ascoril, Sudafed, Stoptussin, Coldrex) are aimed at thinning sputum and other secrets.

In order to relieve inflammation, improve blood circulation, and eliminate congestion, physiotherapeutic methods such as electrophoresis, massage, electrical stimulation, and mud therapy are used.