MALE FACTORS INFERTILITY

INTRODUCTION

Male factor implies a lack of sufficient numbers of competent sperm, resulting in failure to fertilize the normal ovum. However, male factor infertility has remained a neglected but important reproductive health issue, accounting for 20-70% of the causes of infertility in different parts of Nigeria. Male factor infertility may be as a result of deficiency in sperm formation, deficiency in sperm concentration or sperm transportation. The importance of seminal fluid analysis as an indispensable laboratory diagnostic procedure cannot be over-emphasized as abnormalities in semen production and quality have been identified in majority of cases.

A recent study by one of the emobileclinic specialists evaluates the pattern of anomalies in the semen of male partners of infertile couples in Lagos. This is to identify the trend in semen parameters and the contribution of male factor to overall infertility problem in our environment and to have an estimate on the contribution of male factor to infertility in our environment.

METHOD

Semen samples were obtained via masturbation into sterile screwed capped plastic universal containers after 2-7 days of abstinence. Semen was then analysed using the 2011 WHO standard.

RESULT

During the period of study, 594 male partners of infertile couples were investigated.

OBSERVATION

• The study demonstrated abnormal semen quality in 85.5% of male partners of infertile couples who presented for infertility evaluation and treatment.
• This finding shows a similar but increased percentage in semen abnormality when compared with the findings of Akinola OI etal
• Poor morphology (39%) was the commonest abnormality while poor motility (1.3%) was the least of semen abnormalities observed in this study.
• This is however different from the earlier work done in Lagos by Akinola etal which showed poor motility (24.9%) to be the commonest.
• This result also differs from the findings in Ile-Ife by Owlabi AT etal and Ibadan by Adeni RA etal
• This study shows that male factor infertility is on the increase and so need not be neglected.
• The study also shows a shift in trend from asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia noticed in previous studies to teratozoospermia.
• This may suggest the reason for poor treatment outcomes obtained from using conventional method of infertility treatment in our environment, as teratozoospermia is difficult to treat.

CONCLUSION

• This study showed a change in trend in abnormal semen parameters.
• It also showed male factor contribution to infertility to be on the rise.
• More effort should be geared towards preventing this trend.

There is a call to change from our conventional method of male infertility treatment as teratozoospermia is difficult to treat and ‘embrace’ IVF/ICSI/IMSI for better outcome

(The full research to be published in three weeks, we will alert you as soon as all our researches are published)