Causes of a low sperm count

In many cases, it's not obvious what causes a low sperm count. Sometimes problems with sperm count and quality are associated with: ahormone imbalance, such as hypogonadism (reduced hormone production) a genetic problem such as XXY (Klinefelter syndrome) having had undescended testicles as a baby astructural problem for example, the tubes that carry sperm being damaged and blocked by illness or injury, or being absent from birth a genital infection such as chlamydia , gonorrhoea or prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland) varicoceles (enlarged veins in the testicles) previous surgery tothe testicles or hernia repairs the testicles becoming overheated excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and using drugs such as marijuana or cocaine certain medications, including testosterone replacement therapy, long-term anabolic steroid use , cancer medications (chemotherapy), some antibiotics and some antidepressants