Monday, 6 April 2020

Semen collection errors, Role of hormone evaluation, Place of hormone therapy in HH males, Varicocele related male subfertility



 Do you run an IUI center??? Have you had any occasion when the concerned husband failed to procure fresh semen when trigger has been done and there is Situational anejaculation?? Every media and is ready but there is collection problems in IUI ?  Magnitude of the problem ?? How big is the problem??
-       10 % of men are   unable   to give a semen  sample
-       Some  have never  masturbated
-       Some   are inhibited  in the clinic 
-       Some   fail  on demand (DEMAND EJACULATION)
Failure to procure   a sample can be very embarrassing and disheartening  for a man   and can produce long  delays in treatment/ cancellation of the cycle unless frozen sample is ready well ahead which is costly   . To avoid this problem always    ask whether a man can collect a sample when advising a semen test. If  he  reports difficulty in collecting semen instruct him to try collecting at home  using coitus   interrupts . Special  non  spermicidal condoms are  also available. Those  who are still unable to collect a sample will usually be  able to ejaculate when  stimulated with a vibrator .
Message on male subfertility :--1) It is  important  to remember  that semen   analysis is only a rough  predictor of fertility  2) So reassurance is very important  when the semen  is sub normal   because  the male  ego is very threatened by a poor  semen report 3) It is not uncommon to see  that  many pathology laboratories still quote  the old  norms  misleading  the doctor and making   the couple    unnecessarily nervous.4)  Many  men with  poor semen   parameters will still father   children while others  with seemingly normal   parameters will be infertile. 5) The duration    of infertility   should be considered in addition to the semen   analyses. If the duration is short   then even with a low   count  the chances of pregnancy   are good  while if the   duration of infertility is long then even  with a normal analysis  the chances of pregnancy   are poor.  Time acts  as a filter  sorting  out the fertile from the sub fertile regardless of the semen parameters  Hence   young  couples  who have  been trying only for  a short time should not rush into advanced reproductive techniques.
Further Evaluation
Semen tets done & no coital problem: Next what??? After clinical examination, Routine seminal assay some other Investigations are needed only in elected cases depending on the semen report: - e.g,..
Hormone assay: Not required in every case for the simple reason that : Be judgemental
1)                     If count > 5 mill/ ml FSH will be   normal
-       2) If count < 5 mill/ ml  then FSH alone should be done
-       3)   LH &  testosterone assay only if there is  hypo androgenisation  or ED
-       4)   Prolactin assay only if there is ED.
Routine   USG : This is not  needed for every case since  a good  clinical examination can  detect the relevant   findings . Since   surgery  of sub clinical  varicoceles  does not    improve  the semen quality    routine  ultrasound to screen for a sub clinical varicocele  is of no value. USG   is mainly done to confirm the diagnosis  of a clinical  varicocele when surgery  is being planned. USG of the scrotal contents is also useful is very  obese  men in  whom clinical examination is difficult.
-       Do not   waste time and money treating azoospermia or isolated sperm defects medically these need surgery     or ICSI. But some simple tips may work
_ Advise correct timing of intercourse 
-       Prescribe  sildenafil   if man has situational Ed
-       Correct  personal habits
-       Avoid   sauna/steam
-       Regulars meals more salads fruits 
-       Loose   underwear
-       Therapy for stress relief
-       Reduce   smoking alcohol stop drugs
Don’ts   Unnecessary or harmful treatment should be avoided
-       Do not  give testosterone injections they  may cause  suppression of spermatogenesis   through   pituitary  feedback 
-       Do not  give antibiotics   for pus cells  without confirming pyospermia by stained smear examination.  
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-       Not all Pus cells looking cells in semen are P cells: Kinds of cells which look like P cells in semen!!!! There are 3 types  of round cells  in the semen leucocytes  macrophages and spermatocytes only leucocytes   indicate   infection  Most  labs do not distinguish between  these cell    types  and erroneously  label all round  cells as  pus cells  leading to a false  diagnosis   of infection and unnecessary  antibiotic therapy .
Hormone  injections  for hypogonadotropic  hypogonadism does it work??
HMG and HCG injections mimic the action of natural FSH and LH. In men with    genuine hypogonadotropic hypogonadism  where hormone levels  are well below  normal treatment  with HCG   followed  by HCG + HMG   can induce   spermatogenesis  in an azoospermic main . However these injections are expensive  and men with known  pituitary failure   need therapy  for 1-2 years . Hence   the cost of complete   therapy  is very high  Before   starting therapy   ensure that the patient  can spend   on the full  course  since stopping  midway will be   a waste  of all that he   has spent In our   country the  majority  of hypogonadotropic   patients  cannot  afford  gonadotropin therapy. The value  of empirical  gonadotropin therapy in men with normal     hormone levels  is unproven.
Few added Tips :-
-       Varicocele   affects 15% of all men
-       Many  men with   varicoceles  are fertile
-       A varicocele  in an infertile man  may be coincidental
-        After   varicocele  surgery  only some men will have  improved  semen
-       Some  infertile men with  varicoceles may improve  on medical    therapy  alone
-       Hence not every  infertile man with  a varicocele  needs  surgery .
Microsurgical ligation
-       Preferred technique
-       Artery and lymphatics can be preserved
-       All veins can be  identified  lower recurrence rate
Laparoscopic ligation
-       No  longer  recommended
-       Higher  recurrence  rate
-       More invasive  than the open  microsurgical   approach 

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