From fear of infertility after mumps complications to the unexpected journey of fatherhood

(Dan Tri) - Complications from mumps at the age of 17 caused NVH to have testicular atrophy on both sides. Facing the fear of infertility at a young age, undergoing ineffective treatments, it was only when he knocked on the right door that he was able to realize his dream of becoming a father.

The journey to find a child of a father with no sperm

Mr. NVH (25 years old) had mumps when he was 17. The complications caused him to have atrophied testicles on both sides. Despite active treatment at the provincial hospital, his condition did not improve, making him and his family extremely discouraged about the fear of infertility at such a young age.

In 2022, Mr. NVH decided to go to the urology department at Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. Dr. Nguyen Ba Hung advised Mr. H. to freeze his sperm sample to have a chance to become a father later, but at that time he hesitated and did not do it. Half a year later, when he was tested again, Mr. H. no longer had any sperm.

Từ nỗi lo vô sinh sau biến chứng quai bị đến hành trình làm cha đầy bất ngờ - 1 — Mumps complications leading to orchitis put many men at risk of infertility at a very young age (Photo: Shutterstock).

That worry followed Mr. H and his family until he became an adult. At the age of 22, Mr. H. had a girlfriend. Although they had gotten to know each other and both wanted to live together, H. did not dare to marry her because he thought he could not have children and that if he tried to get married, he would make her suffer. After sharing their situation, the two went to see Dr. Nguyen Ba Hung again for in-depth consultation. Dr. Hung encouraged and advised them that they could have a normal family, so right after getting married, the couple immediately started treatment.

After only 3 months, Mr. H. underwent testicular microsurgery (Micro TESE - an effective and safe sperm extraction technique for those with damaged testicles that do not produce sperm) to find sperm. The positive results allowed the young couple to begin in vitro fertilization (IVF). Embryo culture was considered relatively promising when out of 6 embryos created, 4 were good. And then happiness smiled when his wife successfully conceived on the first embryo transfer. After 9 months, a healthy baby boy was brought home to the overwhelming joy of the couple and their family.

Decoding male testicular atrophy due to mumps complications

Mumps is a disease caused by a virus called paramyxovirus, transmitted through the respiratory tract through droplets of saliva when the patient speaks, coughs or sneezes. The disease has many complications, of which orchitis can directly affect male fertility. Orchitis caused by mumps often leads to testicular atrophy, damage to the seminiferous tubules of the testicles, severely affecting the ability to produce sperm. This leads to ejaculation of a semen sample without sperm.

Từ nỗi lo vô sinh sau biến chứng quai bị đến hành trình làm cha đầy bất ngờ - 2 — Image of normal testicles and inflamed testicles (Photo: Shutterstock).

However, not all mumps will cause infertility, it depends on each case and the level of complications. The rate of complications of orchitis after mumps is about 20-35%. If in the past, men with both testicles atrophied due to mumps complications would almost never be able to have children, but now, the MicroTESE testicular microsurgery method to find sperm has lit up the hope of many men, helping to realize the dream of becoming a father.

According to Dr. Nguyen Ba Hung: "With this method, doctors will magnify the structure of testicular tissue and meticulously search for sperm in each potential seminiferous tubule. This tube is taken out from a forest of degenerated, atrophied seminiferous tubule structures."

At Vinmec International General Hospital, there have been many cases of testicular atrophy with no sperm found, after being treated, they successfully welcomed babies like the case of Mr. H above.

Complications of mumps cause a state of no sperm (azoospermia), classified as non-obstructive azoospermia. This is the group with the highest sperm finding rate (up to 80-90% of cases). It is important that when performing testicular microsurgery to find sperm, doctors need to be extremely skillful in dissecting testicular tissue to minimize damage to the patient. In addition, investing in modern surgical equipment such as microsurgery glasses, a standardized and synchronized male urology lab system, as well as a team of highly skilled and experienced doctors will help optimize surgical results as well as shorten treatment time for patients.

With Micro TESE surgery, the hospital stay is very short, usually only one day, and many cases are discharged the same day, and sperm results are reported immediately after surgery. Many lucky cases have welcomed their babies after only 9-10 months of treatment.

Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the medical units that gathers leading experienced obstetricians and urologists, modern and synchronous equipment. This is a unit that has achieved international certification JCI - the gold seal in patient care and treatment, with an optimal success rate.