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Causes of Male Infertility

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Male Infertility

Abstract

Of all sexually active couples, 12–15% are infertile. When broken down by gender, a male component can be identified 50% of the time either in isolation or in combination with a female factor. The majority of the causes of male infertility are treatable or preventable, so a keen understanding of these conditions is paramount. Despite advancements in assisted reproductive technologies, the goal of a male infertility specialist is not simply to retrieve sperm. Instead, the male infertility specialist attempts to optimize a male’s reproductive potential and thereby allow a couple to conceive successfully through utilization of less invasive reproductive techniques. Often, this involves the use of sperm or testicular tissue cryopreservation prior to fertility insult. At the same time, the male fertility specialist is wary of underlying or causal, potentially serious medical or genetic conditions that prompted reproductive evaluation. Previous research in a US male fertility clinic analyzing 1,430 patients identified causes of infertility from most to least common: varicocele, idiopathic, obstruction, female factor, cryptorchidism, immunologic, ejaculatory dysfunction, testicular failure, drug effects/radiation, endocrinology, and all others. The focus of this book on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is easily applied to the majority of the listed conditions (described in detail in later chapters) which comprise this chapter’s overview of pre-testicular, testicular, and post-testicular causes of male infertility.

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Further Reading

  • Blau H, Freud E, Mussaffi H, et al. Urogenital abnormalities in male children with cystic fibrosis. Arch Dis Child. 2002;87:135–8.

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  • Fejes I, Závaczki Z, Koloszár S, et al. Hypothesis: safety of using mobile phones on male fertility. Arch Androl. 2007;53:105–6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Urology, Southern Illinois University, 301 N 8th Street, Floor 4, Springfield, IL, USA

    Herbert J. Wiser MD & Tobias S. Köhler MD, MPh

  2. Department of Urology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Jay Sandlow MD

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  1. Herbert J. Wiser MD
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  2. Jay Sandlow MD
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  3. Tobias S. Köhler MD, MPh
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Correspondence to Herbert J. Wiser MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Florida, Director, Robotic Surgery, Winter Haven Hospital &, 200 Avenue F. N.E., Winter Haven, 33881, Florida, USA

    Sijo J. Parekattil

  2. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Avenue 9500, Cleveland, 44195, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

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Wiser, H.J., Sandlow, J., Köhler, T.S. (2012). Causes of Male Infertility. In: Parekattil, S., Agarwal, A. (eds) Male Infertility. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3335-4_1

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