Abstract
Nowadays, toxic agents and physical agents are becoming an important cause of male infertility. They can act directly on the testis and interfere with the normal function of the pituitary-hypothalamic axis. Preservation of fertility may not be a critical concern for many patients being treated for serious medical conditions, especially malignancy. Nevertheless, iatrogenic reduction in fertility potential can often be prevented. Careful attention to surgical detail during retroperitoneal, inguinal, and scrotal procedures can prevent inadvertent injury to the sympathetic nerve fibers, vas deferens, or epididymis. Because chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may result in permanent sterility, it is imperative to offer sperm cryopreservation to all men before starting therapy. Fortunately, recent advances in urological microsurgery and assisted reproductive technology allow patients with even the most severe iatrogenic decrease in fertility to achieve paternity (Carrol et al., J Urol 137:420, 1987; Richie, J Urol 144:160, 1990; Lee et al., J Clin Oncol 24:2917–2931, 2006).
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Beretta, G. (2015). Iatrogenic Infertility. In: Cavallini, G., Beretta, G. (eds) Clinical Management of Male Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08503-6_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08503-6_15
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