Whatever the circumstances, the decision to use an egg from a donor should be considered carefully beforehand, by both partners as well as the donor. Whatever the reason for a low sperm count, artificial insemination with concentrated sperm may bring results. If not, in-vitro fertilization may be the next step. Sometimes, a man is found to be making sperm but a blockage is preventing its release. This may be remedied by retrieving the sperm directly from the testicle or epididymis, a tube-like structure connected to the testes.
Fertilization can then occur by in-vitro fertilization.
A low sperm count may be due to swelling of blood vessels around the testes, a condition called varicocele. This condition can usually be corrected by surgery. If a man is producing low numbers of sperm and the condition cannot be corrected, there is a chance that a few sperm may still be found in the testicles. Even if only a very small number of sperm can be found and retrieved, in-vitro fertilization may be effective, because sperm can be injected directly into the egg. Rarely, the man's sperm count is so low that no sperm can be obtained.