Offering hope to fathers who lack sperm.

Many fathers break down in tears upon receiving the diagnosis of infertility, feeling hopeless and fearing they will never have children. New in-vitro fertilization techniques have opened up a future for these fathers on the brink of despair.

Nowadays, thanks to modern interventions in the field of infertility, many fathers with "azoospermia" (absence of sperm) have been able to fulfill their role as fathers.

Married for five years, Nguyen Van Cham (born in 1993) and Nguyen Thi Phuong (born in 1997), residing in Bang Hanh commune, Tuyen Quang province, still have no children. Pressure to have children and social stigma from their neighbors have made them hesitant to attend large gatherings due to feelings of shame.

During those five years, the couple sought treatment in many places but without success. When they finally decided to go to a hospital in Hanoi for examination, they received the diagnosis that Mr. Cham had a very severe case of oligospermia, making natural conception impossible. The moment he heard the doctor's news, Mr. Cham was almost devastated.

There were times when Mr. Cham considered letting his wife find new happiness. But instead of giving up, Ms. Phuong was the one who stayed by his side and encouraged him. She told him that if they couldn't have children, they would adopt and continue living together.

The doctor examined and advised the infertile couple.

Châm and his wife are facing difficult circumstances and lack the funds for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Châm's brother has also been infertile for 10 years, and his mother has breast cancer, making all expenses a heavy burden.

Châm and his wife decided to give their brother and sister-in-law the first chance at treatment. They sold all their cattle to pay for IVF treatment for their brother and sister-in-law.

Fortunately, his brother's family later welcomed a child, and this hope motivated Châm and his wife to go to Hanoi for another check-up. However, they still lacked the money for in-vitro fertilization.

By chance, Mr. and Mrs. Châm learned about the "Golden Week - Nurturing Happiness" program organized by the Hanoi Andrology and Infertility Hospital, which offers completely free IVF treatment for couples in difficult circumstances. They registered and were approved.

Their IVF process went smoothly. Ms. Phuong became pregnant on the first embryo transfer, and the joy brought them to tears. After nine months and ten days, Ms. Phuong gave birth to a healthy baby boy. "Even now, thinking back, I still can't believe I've actually become a father," the father, who had almost given up hope of having children, said emotionally.

Microsurgeons search for sperm.

Like Châm, many fathers who are infertile, who were once discouraged, desperate, and even considered giving up so their wives could remarry, have been overwhelmed with joy upon becoming fathers.

We met Ms. Phan Thi Mui and Mr. Phan Duy Tung (born in 1987, Phu Tho province ) in joyful celebration as they had just welcomed their newborn child. Married in 2019 but unable to conceive, they went for a medical examination and were shocked to learn that Mr. Tung had no sperm in his semen.

The doctor explained that the cause was a deletion mutation of the AZFc segment on the long arm of the Y chromosome, leading to azoospermia (absence of sperm in the semen). Many people advised the couple to obtain sperm from a sperm bank for in-vitro fertilization if they wanted to have children.

Driven by their desire to have a child of their own, the young couple continued their medical examinations. At the Hanoi Andrology and Infertility Hospital, Mr. Tung was scheduled for Micro TESE testicular microsurgery to retrieve sperm – the last resort for men with azoospermia due to chromosomal mutations. After the egg retrieval, Ms. Mui waited for Mr. Tung outside the operating room.

Although the number of sperm found was not large, the couple was fortunate enough to create 5 embryos and had two opportunities for embryo transfer. However, complete happiness was still elusive for their family as both embryo transfers were unsuccessful.

Still not giving up hope, shortly after, Mr. Tung underwent a second microsurgery to find sperm. The small number of sperm obtained after the surgery were used to fertilize his wife's previously frozen eggs. This time, although there was only one chance of embryo transfer, they had a feeling of success.

Finally, luck smiled upon them, and Ms. Mui successfully conceived on her third embryo transfer attempt. Their joy was complete after 9 months and 10 days of pregnancy, as they welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Phan Thanh Ngoc Diep, born at 39 weeks, weighing 4kg.

According to fertility specialists, azoospermia (absence of sperm) accounts for 10-15% of male infertility cases. Azoospermia is a condition where a man ejaculates but there are no sperm in the semen, even after centrifugation or sedimentation.

There are two main causes of this condition. First, it can be due to blockage or congenital absence of the vas deferens. Second, it can be due to poor or no sperm production by the testicles. In non-obstructive azoospermia, microsurgery can be performed to find individual sperm cells, inject them into the cytoplasm of an egg to create an embryo, and transfer it into the woman's uterus.

According to Dr. Dinh Huu Viet, Head of the Andrology Department, men with azoospermia due to AZF deletion mutations still have a chance to become fathers through testicular microsurgery to find sperm and in vitro fertilization.

Thanks to the successful application of new technology, many husbands without sperm have become fathers, and this has also greatly increased hope for men suffering from infertility.

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In their arduous journey to have children, many poor couples are forced to give up due to the high cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). To help these underprivileged couples fulfill their dream of becoming parents, from June 15th to 28th, the Hanoi Andrology and Infertility Hospital is organizing the "Golden Week - Nurturing Happiness 2026" program, offering 100% free IVF treatment to 10 couples with special circumstances nationwide through a selection process.

In addition, consultations, ultrasounds, semen analysis, ovarian reserve assessment (AMH) tests, and hysterosalpingography are free of charge; there is a 20% discount on clinical laboratory tests; and a 5 million VND support voucher is given for infertile couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization.

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Tran Hang

Source: https://cand.vn/mang-hy-vong-cho-nhung-ong-bo-khong-co-tinh-binh-post812642.html