The epidemiology and etiology of azoospermia
Clinics
;
68(supl.1): 15-26, 2013. tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-668034
ABSTRACT
The misconception that infertility is typically associated with the female is commonly faced in the management of infertile men. It is uncommon for a patient to present for an infertility evaluation with an abnormal semen analysis report before an extensive female partner workup has been performed. Additionally, a man is usually considered fertile based only on seminal parameters without a physical exam. This behavior may lead to a delay in both the exact diagnosis and in possible specific infertility treatment. Moreover, male factor infertility can result from an underlying medical condition that is often treatable but could possibly be life-threatening. The responsibility of male factor in couple's infertility has been exponentially rising in recent years due to a comprehensive evaluation of reproductive male function and improved diagnostic tools. Despite this improvement in diagnosis, azoospermia is always the most challenging topic associated with infertility treatment. Several conditions that interfere with spermatogenesis and reduce sperm production and quality can lead to azoospermia. Azoospermia may also occur because of a reproductive tract obstruction. Optimal management of patients with azoospermia requires a full understanding of the disease etiology. This review will discuss in detail the epidemiology and etiology of azoospermia. A thorough literature survey was performed using the Medline, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and Cochrane databases. We restricted the survey to clinical publications that were relevant to male infertility and azoospermia. Many of the recommendations included are not based on controlled studies.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Azoospermia
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Etiology study
/
Practice guideline
/
Screening study
Limits:
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Clinics
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2013
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Universidade de São Paulo/BR
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