Assessment of the male factor of infertility
The cultural stigma that women are responsible for the majority of infertility cases means that even today, the majority of infertility studies are initiated by women.
However, the male factor is present in around 50 to 60% of infertile couples.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the assessment is carried out jointly and, in the particular case of men, it must be conducted by a Urologist trained in Andrology.
Initial assessment
In the initial assessment, it is extremely important to collect the clinical history without forgetting personal and family history, as well as a general physical examination with special emphasis on the examination of the external genital organs.
Regarding auxiliary diagnostic tests, it is always important to remember the primary importance of the sperm count. This test, even though it does not clarify the etiology of the male factor of infertility, is essential to reflect fertile capacity.
Spermogram
In addition to assessing the volume of ejaculated sperm, pH, viscosity, color and liquefaction time, this test allows the number of sperm and their motility to be determined.
In addition to these parameters, the sperm count also allows the evaluation of sperm morphology. When this is altered, we have a situation of teratozoospermia, which may be related to several situations including obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, exposure to toxins, smoking and drug use, as well as specific genital pathologies such as varicocele, cryptorchidism, testicular trauma, history of torsion of the spermatic cord, and orchidoepididymitis, among others.
Pedro Vendeira