Why Will Hot Water Sitz Baths Cause Asthenozoospermia?

Under normal conditions, the scrotum acts as a thermoregulator. When the temperature decreases, the scrotal skin contracts and thickens, bringing the testicles closer to the body and raising the environment's temperature around the testicles. 
 
When the temperature rises, the scrotal skin relaxes and thins. The testicles drop and move away from the body, enhancing the temperature dissipation function and lowering the environment's temperature around the testicles. The temperature inside the scrotum is kept stable at 32 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius.
 
Once the temperature around the testes increases abnormally for some reasons. It may cause dysfunction of testicular spermatogenesis or degeneration of testicular spermatogenic epithelial cells, resulting in abnormal semen. In severe cases, the main manifestations are reduced sperm density in semen, decreased sperm motility, increased deformed sperm, and even azoospermia. As a result of these changes in semen quality, the fertilizing ability of semen is reduced, often leading to infertility.
 
Some patients are treated for chronic prostatitis. Patients will need to have a good deal more than just a few days. The result is a long-term hot water sitz bath so that the scrotum is immersed in high-temperature hot water for a long time. The temperature of the environment where the testicles are located rises abnormally, affecting the sperm production function of the testicles, and the sperm within the semen become weak. Of course, pregnancy becomes a problem.
 
The treatment method is like a hot water sitz bath. Although it has some therapeutic effect on chronic prostatitis, the damage to the sperm production function is also exact. When using this treatment method, be sure to take care of the testicles and avoid soaking them in hot water. Patients with fertility requirements should preferably not accept this method. When conditions permit, transrectal heat therapy or trans-pubic suprapubic trans heat therapy can be chosen to avoid thermal damage to the testicles as much as possible.
 
It is important to note that chronic prostatitis may lead to infertility even without hot water sitz bath therapy. The mechanism is mainly that the inflammation leads to changes in the quality of seminal plasma, too much or too little semen, changes in acidity and alkalinity, increased semen viscosity, prolonged liquefaction time, reduced sperm motility, and, in severe cases, reduced sperm density. Active treatment of chronic prostatitis can indeed improve fertility. However, it is essential to follow a standardized treatment method. It is best to speak to your doctor about having fertility requirements before treatment.
 
Chronic prostatitis patients with fertility requirements and weak spermatozoa can be treated with medication. For example, the herbal medicine Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill are very effective for these male reproductive system diseases. The main ingredient of this medicine is purely natural herbs, which will not harm the body after use. It can also regulate the body, with the effect of diuretic and laxative, blood circulation and blood stasis, clearing heat and detoxification. It can also increase the chances of a natural pregnancy after healing.
 
Is it possible to recover from "damaged" sperm?
 
For patients with weak spermatozoa caused by head injury, most semen quality can be restored or improved after removing the cause. Even in some cases, the quality of semen may not be restored to the level of natural pregnancy. It is also possible to find individual solid sperm in weak semen by medical means. Assisted reproduction techniques are used to help with fertility problems.
 
In addition to hot water sitz baths, several diseases can cause an increase in local temperature of the testicles, leading to impaired sperm production of abnormal quality. Some common ones are cryptorchidism and varicocele. In cryptorchidism, because the testicles are located in the inguinal canal or the abdominal cavity, the local temperature is several degrees higher than the temperature in the scrotum. 
 
Thus, it affects the sperm production function of the testes. In a varicocele, the venous blood refluxes and the local stagnation of the veins in the spermatic cord. It also increases the local temperature of the testes, which is one of the causes of infertility due to varicocele.
 
In daily life, it is also seen that certain occupational groups suffer from a higher percentage of weak spermatozoa, such as drivers, chefs, and jobs with high-temperature work. People engaged in these occupations, the scrotal area, are often subjected to high-temperature radiation, which will naturally impact the quality of semen. 

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