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Causes of Male Infertility

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Male Infertility

Abstract

It is estimated that 12%–15% of sexually active couples are infertile. When broken down by gender, a male component can be identified approximately 50% of the time either in isolation or in combination with a female factor. Previous research in a US male fertility clinic analyzing 1430 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. However, despite recent technologic and diagnostic advances, idiopathic infertility remains a common diagnosis, with approximately 25% of patients not having an identifiable cause of infertility. Regardless, many recognizable causes of male infertility are treatable or preventable; thus, a keen understanding of these conditions is paramount. This chapter comprises an overview of etiologies of male infertility, divided into pre-testicular, testicular, and post-testicular causes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Graham Luke Machen & Jay I. Sandlow

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  1. Graham Luke Machen
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  2. Jay I. Sandlow
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    Sijo J. Parekattil

  2. ANDROFERT and State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil

    Sandro C. Esteves

  3. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

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Machen, G.L., Sandlow, J.I. (2020). Causes of Male Infertility. In: Parekattil, S., Esteves, S., Agarwal, A. (eds) Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32300-4_1

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