James (not his real name) had achieved what every man would wish to gain in life. He had a beautiful wife, a successful career, and four healthy children – three sons and a daughter - who were the source of his inspiration every morning he woke-up. On weekends, he would take them for an outing, and slowly found himself emotionally attached to his two older sons – 13-year-old John (not his real name) and 11-year-old Peter (not his real name). As time went by, his fortunes continued to improve. And is the case with some men, he decided to marry a second wife. At first, everything was blissful as they enjoyed their young marriage.
But things started to change around 2002 when the second wife, after two years of marriage, could not conceive. For James, the problem lay with her since he was a proud father of four from his first marriage.

James (not his real name) had achieved what every man would wish to gain in life.

He had a beautiful wife, a successful career, and four healthy children – three sons and a daughter - who were the source of his inspiration every morning he woke-up.

On weekends, he would take them for an outing, and slowly found himself emotionally attached to his two older sons – 13-year-old John (not his real name) and 11-year-old Peter (not his real name).

As time went by, his fortunes continued to improve. And is the case with some men, he decided to marry a second wife. At first, everything was blissful as they enjoyed their young marriage.

But things started to change around 2002 when the second wife, after two years of marriage, could not conceive. For James, the problem lay with her since he was a proud father of four from his first marriage.

The development caused immense stress on the second wife, forcing her to seek intervention from God, doctors and herbalists.

Every time the doctors insisted that the husband accompanies her during fertility check-ups, James would dismiss it as nonsense. Why were they questioning his ability to sire when he had proved himself?

Yet several tests by various fertility experts gave the same verdict: his second wife had no problem with her abilities to conceive. The problem, they concluded, lay with the husband.

Meanwhile, the second wife was drifting towards depression as she struggled to come to terms with what was happening to her.

The issue turned-out to be the source of quarrel and misery for her. The house was no longer a peaceful place to live in as it used to be when they first met. With such an uncooperative husband, she resigned to fate.

Her prayers were however answered when James one day decided to go accompany her for fertility check-up to prove the problem lied with her.

The results were traumatizing. James had never had a sperm count in his life-time. At first the fertility doctor who examined them says he struggled to find the rights words to explain to him the findings.

“This man knew he had fathered four children with the first wife and it was going to be very difficult to convince him of what we found,” says the doctor.

The results of no sperm count indicated James was destined be infertile for the rest of his life. Still, he was not convinced with this explaination by the doctor. Unable to get to agree on the results, the doctor advised him to do a paternity test to prove indeed he could sire.

He took the advice and subjected his four children to the test. The results: none of them was his. Devastated, he went back home, told his first wife about the results. She did not deny or accept it. For him, it was over.

He asked her to leave with the two younger children – a 9 month old girl and 4 year-old- boy. But he refused to let go the two older sons whom he said he had a very special relationship with for over 10 years.

Investigations into the incident later revealed the father of the boys was a junior officer who worked with James wife in the same department she headed.

No one knows what happened to the couple because both of them relocated to other areas.

According to Dr Joshua Noreh, a fertility expert, the problem of no sperm count affects many men, but only few know about it because they will still ejaculate during sexual intercourse. The cause could be a congenital disorder, hereditary, or acquired.

Congenital disorder is a result of various factors. It can be caused by a problem with hormones responsible for sperm generation, or poorly developed testis or lack of it altogether.

Genetic sperm count problem is related to what is known as Kelinefetter XXY syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that impairs sperm production common in many men.

Absent or defective Vas deferens (tubes which facilitate sperm flow) results in no sperm count as well. Over 30 percent of men in Europe are said to suffer from this problem.

Dr Noreh says lack of sperm count can also be due to acquired complications. Trauma to the testis; infections such as gonorrhea and clamymedia, which are not treated in time; alcoholism and use of performance enhancing anabolic steroids can lead to lack of sperms. 

The good news is lack of sperm count in some of the acquired cases can be reversed if the problem is nipped in the bud. Stopping alcoholism can see the sperm regenerate to normal levels within six months, according to Noreh.

For James case, Dr Noreh thinks, it might have been hereditary or congenital problem, meaning James was born without the ability to produce sperm, or a problem he developed later in life, but before marrying his first wife.