Male Fertility Program

Approximately 40 percent of all infertility is caused by a male factor. It is the sole cause of infertility in about 20-25 percent of infertile couples, and in about another 20 percent of couples, male factor contributes to diminished fertility. Male infertility has many causes, which may be classified into three groups: (a) pre-testicular, (b) testicular, and (c) post-testicular. Examples of these include:

    - Endocrine disorders 
    - Deficient sperm production
    - Injury to the testicle
    - Undescended testes on one or both sides
    - Childhood German measles infection
    - Blockage of the sperm deliver routes
    - Anti-sperm antibodies and varicose veins around the testicle (varicocele)

A key component of the Male Fertility Program at Yale is the Yale Sperm Physiology Laboratory, established in 1983. It is a leading andrology laboratory, with national and international reputations for the excellence of both its clinical and its innovative research programs. We specialize in clinical evaluation and treatment of couples with male factor infertility, and in research aimed at developing new approaches for such evaluation and treatment.

Our laboratory performs the most sophisticated computer-assisted semen analyses, anti-sperm antibody testing, and sperm morphometry/morphology evaluations. In addition, it offers the sperm migration test, which provides an assessment of the progression efficiency of sperm available for fertilization, and tests the maintenance of sperm motility. Another feature - a result of award-winning research - provides a measure of sperm fertility, based on the measurement of a sperm protein that is present only in fertile sperm. This test is useful in the diagnosis of unexplained male infertility, a condition in which fertility is diminished despite normal sperm concentrations and motilities.

	Huszar, Gabor Bela, MD	Senior Research Scientist in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, Sperm Physiology Laboratory	(203) 785-4708 Appts (203) 764-5619 Fax
	Patrizio, Pasquale, MD, MBE, HCLD	Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, In Vitro Fertilization Program; Director, Fertility Preservation Program	(203) 785-4708 Appts (203) 764-5619 Fax

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