Male infertility

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines male infertility as the presence of a disorder in semen parameters or insufficient sexual or ejaculatory functions preventing a couple from conceiving a child after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. Male factor contributes to infertility in one out of every five infertile couples. Despite this, the causes of male infertility remain unidentified in many cases. Typically, doctors perform two semen analyses each month to diagnose infertility. In investigations of male infertility without semen analysis, they examine endocrine function, genetic information, and imaging studies. After identifying potential causes, doctors must treat them. Risk factors for male infertility include varicocele, cryptorchidism, having undergone chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the past, cystic fibrosis, congenital absence of the vas deferens, Y chromosome abnormalities, Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY), and endocrinopathy.

Source | Author Doctor Nikas Samuolis, reviewed by Prof. Virginijus Šapoka | Vilnius University | Faculty of Medicine | Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Oncology