Maturation Arrest
Maturation arrest is defined as germ cells that fail to complete maturation to sperm cells. Limited data exist to characterize men with maturation arrest. Maturation arrest may be primary (genetic or idiopathic) or acquired. Acquired causes include chemotherapy, radiation, drugs, testosterone supplementation, nutrition, infection, endocrinopathy, congenital abnormalities (cryptorchidism), testicular torsion and varicocele. Men with maturation […]
IMSSI
Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection, or IMSI, is the term used to describe the selection of a specific, high quality sperm cell for injection into the egg. The selection process takes advantage of the advanced in our ability to observe the sperm cells at a high level. Newer and higher resolution microscopy techniques have allowed […]
single sperm freezing protocol
Protocol for Freezing Single Sperm Collect all the individual sperm that you have found into a 2µl drop of Sperm Washing Medium or Hepes that is in an ICSI dish or the dish used for the search. When you have finished collecting all the individual sperm that you want to freeze, prepare a mixture of […]
history taking
Male factors are the sole cause of infertility in 20-30 percent of infertile couples and are a contributing factor in another 20-30 percent of couples, thus affecting about half of infertile couples. When a male factor is suspected the workup should begin with a thorough history, which can often uncover the source of the problem […]
Obesity and male infertility
Background: Over the last decade, many studies have been done on the connection between obesity (BMI>35) and male infertility. This wave of research was was stimulated by the current trend for decline in semen parameters occurring in parallel to the increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide (Male obesity in reproductive-age men has nearly tripled in the […]
Sexual Dysfunction & Male Infertility
Sexual dysfunction accounts for anywhere from 0.4-4.6% of male infertility cases, based on various studies. This category of male infertility includes erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders, and psychological effects, as well as Sexual dysfunction can cause infertility Hypoactive sexual desire, lack of sexual satisfaction, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation Psychological burden Potential that erectile […]
Lifestyle Factors
There are many different lifestyle factors that have been shown to play a role in a man’s semen quality. Smoking Cigarettes Smoking, a known risk factor for decreased male fertility, has been associated with lower sperm concentration, count, motility and morphology, possibly via its tendency to cause high levels of oxidative stress and DNA […]
Chemotherapy & Infertility
The hallmark of a cancer cell, and what distinguishes it from many other cell types, is that it continuously divides. This is the quality that chemotherapy drugs attempt to target as they try to distinguish and kill cancer cells. However, sperm cells are constantly dividing and developing as well, and they are thus easy […]
Medical History
The very first step in evaluating the fertility of a patient is receiving a thorough medical history. The evaluating doctor will ask about previous evaluations, sexual habits, and how long the couple has been trying to achieve a pregnancy. They will also ask for a detailed sexual history, in order to determine that the patient […]
Methods for Selection of Non-motile Sperm/ Shaindy Grunwald
When selecting sperm for the purpose of fertility treatments, it is always preferable to use sperm with high motility. In some cases, however, especially after surgical sperm extraction, and rarely in fresh sperm samples, it is impossible to identify motile sperm cells. It is highly likely that the sperm cells that are non-motile are dead, […]