Normally when you ejaculate the semen volume must be 1.5ml atleast.
Now this correlates with about 6-10 large drops of semen.
Low semen volume indicates that there is some of the blockage or abnormality in the way your semen pathway is working. It may essentially mean these three things
- Semen goes into the bladder instead of coming through the penis – called Retrograde Ejaculation
- Diabetes
- Nerve Disorders
- Spinal cord injury
- Surgeries of the pelvis or lower abdomen
- Prostate or bladder neck Surgery
- Fully or partially blocked Semen tubes
- Enough semen is not producing
How do we manage low semen volume problems ?
Retrograde Ejaculation first needs to be correctly diagnosed. Typically for the same we ask patient to ejaculate and then give their urine sample. If urine sample shows sperms then it confirms retrograde ejaculation. There are two solutions to this problems.
- Firstly we can try some medicines to close the mouth of bladder while semen is coming out.
- Secondly, we can collect sperms from the urine and put them in your partner – Intra Uterine Insemination
Ultrasound is done after examination to check for blockade. More advanced tests like vasography may also be needed to look for the site of blockage. Some of these blockages are corrected with surgery such as TURED.
Male hormones are also evaluated to find the right cause. Many times deficiency of these hormone leads to low volume of semen.
Problems in the conditioning of the brain or pain during intercourse can lead to lack of ejaculation or a very low volume of ejaculate. In such patients Penile Vibratory Stimulation can be done to facilitate ejaculation. In case PVS fails then Electroejaculation can be tried to extract the sperms.
Conditions of the mind such as psychological conditions that inhibit orgasms can also lead to low semen volume. Typically psychotherapy and penile vibratory stimulation can help in these.
Many times the nervous disorders are very difficult to control with medications or with surgery. Damage nerves are difficult to repair