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Medical and Surgical Interventions in Male Fertility

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Urological Men’s Health

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Urology ((CCU))

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Abstract

Infertility, defined as the failure to conceive after 1 year of unprotected intercourse, affects about 15% of reproductive age couples. Over the years, treatment of infertility has become increasingly more successful, and this has largely been dependent on interdisciplinary interactions among a number of specialties. With joint efforts between primary care physicians, obstetricians, urologists, geneticists, endocrinologists, and andrologists, couples are now able to undergo comprehensive stepwise evaluations that allow their physicians to determine the cause of infertility, provide evidence-based advice regarding prognoses, and determine the best approach toward achieving pregnancy or family planning.

In this chapter, we focus on the male infertility evaluation, and the medical and surgical treatment options available, both alone and in combination with assisted reproductive techniques (ART). It is our goal to discuss the thought process behind the evaluation and when to proceed with each type of intervention. Ultimately, this chapter will assist in the identification of tests to initiate the infertility evaluation, recognize criteria for subspecialty referral, and assist with patient counseling. In addition, it can serve as a general framework to help urologists and infertility specialists formulate plans for evaluation and treatment of their infertility patients.

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Correspondence to Edmund Sabanegh Jr. MD .

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Chandler, K., Sabanegh, E. (2012). Medical and Surgical Interventions in Male Fertility. In: Shoskes, D. (eds) Urological Men’s Health. Current Clinical Urology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-900-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-900-6_16

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-899-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-900-6

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