The general practitioner is often the first to assess couples with infertility. In up to half of all infertile couples, a male factor may be found as a contributing cause.
The aim of this article is to provide a broad understanding of the options available for surgical management of male infertility to assist couples in navigating their treatment journey.
Treatments may be classified into four categories: surgery for diagnostic purposes, surgery to improve semen parameters, surgery to improve sperm delivery and surgery to retrieve sperm for in vitro fertilisation. Assessment and treatment of the male partner by urologists trained in male reproductive health, working collaboratively within a team, can maximise fertility outcomes.
Australian journal of general practice. 2023 Jan [Epub]
Vincent A Chan, Glenn C Duns, Darren J Katz
BHB, MBChB, FRACS Urol, Andrology Fellow, Men@s Health Melbourne, Western Health, Melbourne, Vic., MDCM, MPH, FRACGP, General Practitioner, Men@s Health Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic; Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne, Department of General Practice, Melbourne, Vic; Chair, General Practice Advisory Group, Healthy Male, Melbourne, Vic., MBBS, FRACS (Urology), Medical Director, Men@s Health, Melbourne, Vic; Leader, Urological Society Australia and New Zealand Andrology Special Advisory Group, Sydney, NSW; Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Vic; Director, Sexual Medicine, Male Infertility Microsurgery and Andrology Fellowship, Melbourne, Vic; Chair, Integrated Cancer Service MDM (Gippsland Region), Traralgon, Vic; Clinical Leader, Western Health Andrology, Melbourne, Vic.