International Journal of Fertility and Sterility

267-269

Authors: Antonio Simone Laganà, Salvatore Giovanni Vitale, Paola Iaconianni, Simona Gatti, Francesco Padula

Male fertility significantly decreased in the last 50 years, as showed in several studies reporting a reduction of sperm counts per ml in the seminal fluid. Several “acute” pharmacological treatments, as antibiotics, could cause subclinical and temporary reduction of male fertility; conversely, long-term medical treatment may severely affect male fertility, although this effect could be considered transient in most of the cases. Thus, nowadays, several long-term pharmacological treatments may represent a clinical challenge. The association between several kind of antihypertensive drugs and reduction of male fertility has been showed in the mouse model, although the modification(s) which may alter this fine-regulated machinery are still far to be elucidated. Furthermore, well-designed observational studies and randomized controlled trials are needed to accurately define this association in human model, meaning a narrative overview synthesizing the findings of literature retrieved from searches of computerized databases. We strongly solicit future human studies (both observational and randomized clinical trials) on large cohorts with adequate statistical power which may clarify this possible association and the effects (reversible or permanent) of each drug. Furthermore, we suggest a close collaboration between general practitioners, cardiologists, and andrologists in order to choose the most appropriate antihypertensive therapy considering also patient’s reproductive desire and possible risk for his fertility.

278-282

Authors: Mahdi Sepidarkish, Amir Almasi-Hashiani, Fatemeh Shokri, Samira Vesali, Elaheh Karimi, Reza Omani Samani

Background: Few studies have been conducted on the infertility problems in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of infertility problems and related factors in Iranian infertile patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 405 infertile patients referred to Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran, between 2014 and 2015, were selected by simple random sampling. Participants completed the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) including 46 questions in five domains (social concern, sexual concern, relationship concern, rejection of parenthood, and need for parenthood). Mean difference between male and female was verified using independent-samples Student’s t test. A generalized linear model (GLM) was also used for testing the effect of variables on the fertility problems. Data was analyzed using Stata software version 13. Results: The mean age (SD) of participants was 31.28 (5.42). Our results showed that 160 infertile men (95.23%) were classified as very high prevalence of infertility problems. Among infertile women, 83 patients (35.02%) were as very high prevalence of infertility problems, and 154 patients (64.98%) were as high prevalence. Age (P<0.001), sex (P<0.001), a history of abortion (P=0.009), failure of previous treatment (P<0.001), and education (P=0.014) had a significant relationship with FPI scores. Conclusion: Bases on the results of current study, an younger male with lower education level, history of abortion and history of previous treatments failure experienced more infertility problems.

290-296

Authors: Seyedeh Zahra Masoumi, Maryam Garousian, Somayeh Khani, Seyedeh Reyhaneh Oliaei, Arezoo Shayan

Background: Fertility plays an important role in sexual and psychological function in families. Infertility can result in major emotional, social, and mental disorders, including a reduction in satisfaction with marital life and quality of life. The present study aimed to compare the quality of life and marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction between fertile and infertile couples. Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 couples at the Fatemiyeh Educational Research Center affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran, from May to August in 2014. The subjects were randomly selected from the patients referred to this center using a table of random numbers. They were then allocated into two groups of infertile group (n=125) and fertile group (n=125). The study participants completed World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, Linda Berg’s Sexual Satisfaction Scale, and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS version16 for statistical analysis. The Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were also applied to compare the data between the groups. Results: The results revealed no significant difference between the two groups regarding demographic and general health variables. The mean scores of sexual satisfaction were 63.67 ± 13.13 and 46.37 ± 7.72 in the fertile and infertile couples, respectively. Furthermore, the mean scores of marital satisfaction were also 44.03 ± 9.36 and 36.20 ± 4.03 in the fertile and infertile groups, respectively. Our finding demonstrated that the fertile couples obtained significantly higher mean scores of quality of life as well as lower mean scores of sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction as compared to the infertile ones (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results, the fertile couples obtained significantly higher quality of life and lower sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction as compared to the infertile ones. Therefore, holding consultation programs and conducting more studies are necessary for improving the quality of life and promoting sexual and marital satisfaction in infertile couples.

303-309

Authors: Mohammad Mehdi Heidari, Mehri Khatami, Amirhossein Danafar, Tahere Dianat, Ghazaleh Farahmand, Ali Reza Talebi

Background: Several recent studies have shown that mitochondrial DNA mutations lead to major disabilities and premature death in carriers. More than 150 mutations in human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes have been associated with a wide spectrum of disorders. Varicocele, one of the causes of infertility in men wherein abnormal inflexion and distension of veins of the pampiniform plexus is observed within spermatic cord, can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in semen and cause oxidative stress and sperm dysfunction in patients. Given that mitochondria are the source of ROS production in cells, the aim of this study was to scan nine mitochondrial genes (MT-COX2, MT-tRNALys , MT-ATP8, MT-ATP6, MT-COX3, MT-tRNAGly , MT-ND3, MT-tRNAArg and MT-ND4L) for mutations in infertile patients with varicocele. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing were used to detect and identify point mutations respectively in 9 mitochondrial genes in 72 infertile men with varicocele and 159 fertile men. In brief, the samples showing altered electrophoretic patterns of DNA in the SSCP gel were sent for DNA sequencing to identify the exact nucleotide variation. Results: Ten type nucleotide variants were detected exclusively in mitochondrial DNA of infertile men. These include six novel nucleotide changes and four variants previously reported for other disorders. Conclusion: Mutations in mitochondrial genes may affect respiratory complexes in combination with environmental risk factors. Therefore these nucleotide variants probably lead to impaired ATP synthesis and mitochondrial function ultimately interfering with sperm motility and infertility.