Male Infertility: The Current Status
Infertility is now a leading issue on the reproductive agenda.
It is a widespread problem affecting an estimated 20% of all couples who are trying to conceive.
The science and practice of male infertility has evolved tremendously in last few decades.
Infertility may be attributable to male in as many as 50% cases.
There have been many recent advances in the field.
Refined techniques of molecular biology are now well integrated into investigative processes
and diagnostic procedures.
The evolving field of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics has
the potential to radically change the methods of diagnosis, prognostication and management of
infertility. The impact of genetic disorders on testicular functions is beginning to be understood.
Research in genetic sequencing and processing may provide answers of many poorly understood
causes of idiopathic male infertility today.
This might also lead to identification of effective
interventional techniques and a possible gene therapy. With observation and quantification
of sperm bound antibodies, immunologic infertility is also becoming a challenge in the field of
medical research. The future of stem cell treatment of infertility is probably the most exciting
treatment in the horizon. Successful transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells into adults
with resultant spermatogenesis is a distinct possibility in near future.
Other advances in technology have opened doors for improvement in diagnosis and
therapy of infertile patients. Micromanipulation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
has tremendous potential of offering children to barren couples. Assessing the quality of embryo with optics, genomics and metabolomics has revolutionized the treatment further.
Similarly, microsurgery for restoration of patency in patients with ductal obstruction is an evolving
field with technical refinements constantly being introduced.
Urol Androl Open J. 2016; 1(1): e1-e2. doi: 10.17140/UAOJ-1-e001
