Male infertility
According to World Health Organization definition, infertility is the inability of a sexually active, non contracepting couple to achieve spontaneous pregnancy in one year. Incidence of infertility in industrialized countries increases dramatically over the last decades.
About 15% of couples do not achieve pregnancy within one year and seek medical treatment for infertility.
Both man and woman may be affected by infertility. A fertile partner may compensate the fertility problem of the man and thus infertility usually manifests when both of them have reduced fertility.
Abnormalities in the semen analysis may be found in 50% of men in childless couples, 20% of these have the male factor as the solely responsible.
Causes of male infertility
- Congenital or acquired urogenital abnormalities
- Malignancies
- Urogenital infections
- Increased scrotal temperature (varicocele)
- Endocrine disorders
- Genetic abnormalities
- Immunological factors
Prognosis depends on factors like duration and type of the infertility, the results of the semen analysis as well as the age and the fertility status of female partner.
Causes of male infertility must be evaluated by a urologist. Some of them can be identified and corrected with:
Specific surgery (varicocele, congenital or acquired urogenital abnormalities ect.) Medication (infection, endocrine disorders ect.)
Occasionally the underlying cause of infertility cannot be identified. In these cases is termed idiopathic infertility.
