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Special Considerations for Men's Health
Published in Gia Merlo, Kathy Berra, Lifestyle Nursing, 2023
Male infertility is the inability to conceive a child with unprotected sexual intercourse between a man and woman for a year or longer. Male infertility is estimated to impact approximately 48.5 million couples, which is about 15% of couples globally. Male infertility frequently results from an etiologic combination of male and female fertility issues. Males are estimated to be the sole etiology in about 20% to 30% of all infertility cases but contribute to about 50% of all cases overall (Agarwal et al., 2015). Agarwal et al. reported that there are at least 30 million men worldwide who are infertile, with the highest rates of infertility in Africa and Eastern Europe.
Genetic Counseling in Assisted Reproductive Technology
Published in Carlos Simón, Carmen Rubio, Handbook of Genetic Diagnostic Technologies in Reproductive Medicine, 2022
Male infertility can be associated with a wide variety of other factors. In more than half of infertile men, the cause of infertility is unknown (idiopathic). The initial diagnosis of infertility in men is made by analyzing a semen sample. It is estimated that approximately 30% of men seeking assisted reproduction treatment are either oligospermic or azoospermic for no apparent reason. The etiology of low sperm quality is known in less than 50% of cases. Considering that around 15% of men with nonobstructive azoospermia and 4% of men with moderate oligozoospermia are known to be carriers of chromosomal anomalies, karyotyping should be the first genetic test carried out in such patients (Jungwirth et al., 2012).
Introduction
Published in Chinmay Murali, Sathyaraj Venkatesan, Infertility Comics and Graphic Medicine, 2021
Chinmay Murali, Sathyaraj Venkatesan
Infertility is a gender-neutral health problem which affects both men and women. Clinically, it is “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse” (WHO 2009). Put differently, infertility is “the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve pregnancy in one year” (WHO 2009). When a couple is unable to reproduce due to medical problems that lie with the male partner, the condition is referred to as male infertility. Male infertility includes “any health issue in a man that lowers the chances of his female partner getting pregnant” (Urology Care, n.d.). Women’s infertility, on the other hand, is defined as “not being able to get pregnant after one year of trying (or six months if a woman is 35 or older)” (Office on Women’s Health 2017). Women who can get pregnant yet are unable to sustain their pregnancy are also categorised as infertile.
Exploring the internal exposome of seminal plasma with semen quality and live birth: A Pilot Study
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2023
Emily Houle, YuanYuan Li, Madison Schroder, Susan L McRitchie, Tayyab Rahil, Cynthia K Sites, Susan Jenkins Sumner, J. Richard Pilsner
Infertility is one of the most common reproductive health disorders affecting 10–16% of couples globally and male reproductive health issues are responsible in roughly 50% of cases (Jungwirth et al. 2012; Thoma et al. 2013). Semen parameters analyses remain the most prevalent diagnostic tool to identify male infertility; however, men with normal semen parameters may still be unable to achieve pregnancy (Table 1). Therefore, new biomarkers and a better understanding of infertility pathophysiology to improve the diagnosis of male infertility are needed. Seminal plasma, a male biofluid produced by the male reproductive tract containing many biomolecules related to the host metabolism and exogenous metabolites originating from environmental exposures, is an ideal non-invasive biospecimen to examine the effects of the internal exposome on reproductive outcomes. This knowledge could help us identify novel biomarkers to predict birth outcomes. More importantly, it will help us recognize and reduce the modifiable risk factors (such as environmental or dietary exposures) for male infertility and identify targets to guide interventions. The current proof of concept research has demonstrated the potential of using seminal plasma as a novel biospecimen in internal exposome research for large cohort studies on reproductive health.
Mapping the human sperm proteome – novel insights into reproductive research
Published in Expert Review of Proteomics, 2023
Mika Alexia Miyazaki, Raquel Lozano Guilharducci, Paula Intasqui, Ricardo Pimenta Bertolla
Currently, the diagnosis of male infertility is mainly based on semen analysis following the guidelines defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory manual (2021). However, this analysis does not include a molecular approach, and as reported in several studies, sperm proteins play a fundamental role in the different events necessary for reproductive success, and defects related to them are associated with causes of male infertility. In this context, the study of sperm proteomic profiles has been of special interest to researchers, as it may bring a general overview and enable new discoveries of biomarkers that expand infertility studies. In this review, we intend to demonstrate the principal application of sperm proteomic studies published in the last 5 years, highlighting the most interesting findings.
Genetic variations as molecular diagnostic factors for idiopathic male infertility: current knowledge and future perspectives
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2021
Mohammad Karimian, Leila Parvaresh, Mohaddeseh Behjati
Genetic factors could impact various physiologic processes such as hormonal hemostasis, cellular signals, spermatogenesis, and infertility. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of genetic base of fertility impairment for management of an infertile couple is essential. Male infertility is considered as one of the confusing infertility-related disorders. Its prevalence is increased, while the clear identity of some of its related causative factors is yet unknown despite rapid pace of technological progress. Worth noting, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches targeting male-related infertility factors are rapidly developed. Beyond analysis of semen fluid, genetic examination is considered as part of this progress. As mentioned, more information about male infertility-related SNPs will be useful in diagnosing infertility, developing future treatment tools, etc. [185].