Ejaculation Disorders
When you ejaculate, more than 85-90% of the volume comes from your seminal vesicles. Fluid with sperm from your testicles actually makes up only a small percentage of your ejaculate. The seminal vesicles and prostate are important because they surround your sperm with a comfortable environment filled with the proper nutrients to help sperm on their journey out your penis and into your partner’s reproductive tract. In order for the proper amount of ejaculate to be produced and expelled, the seminal vesicles must be present; the proper nerve signals must be properly sent and the path out to the tip of your penis must be wide open.
For some men facing infertility, the volume of semen is low (click Semen Analysis). Most commonly, it is due to a collection that was suboptimal. If you are able to collect a representative sample and the volume is truly low, Dr. Kuang will often make sure that the sperm are not going backwards into your bladder (retrograde ejaculation). He will ask you to ejaculate then empty your bladder afterwards. A significant number of sperm in the urine is often indicative of retrograde ejaculation. After a thorough history and a comprehensive physical exam, another part of the evaluation will likely include taking some pictures of your prostate and the seminal vesicles via ultrasound to answer the following questions: Are your seminal vesicles there? If so, is there some blockage that is preventing the fluid from the seminal vesicles from getting out to the tip of your penis?
Based on his findings, Dr. Kuang will help you and your partner determine what the next step may be in helping you build a healthy family. It may include options such as medications to help increase the nerve signals to the seminal vesicles or treatments to relieve an area of blockage.