Contemporary approach to the male infertility evaluation

Evaluation of infertile couples has revealed that male factor infertility c ontributes to the problem in up to 50% of cases. Evaluation of the male inf ertility patient may include endocrine studies, sophisticated semen testing , and select radiographic studies. Reversible and life-threatening causes o f male infertility should be identified before proceeding directly to assis ted reproductive technology. For cases with irreversible causes, a proper e valuation can identify patients who may be treated with the breakthrough me thod of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Many men who were previously thou ght to be infertile may now initiate their own biologic pregnancies. This a rticle emphasizes the essentials of the contemporary approach to evaluating the male factor in an infertile couple.