Diagnosis and treatment of infertility in men: AUA/ASRM guideline part I
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Purpose The summary presented herein represents Part I of the two-part series dedicated to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infertility in Men: AUA/ASRM Guideline. Part I outlines the appropriate evaluation of the male in an infertile couple. Recommendations proceed from obtaining an appropriate history and physical exam (Appendix I), as well as diagnostic testing, where indicated. Materials/methods The Emergency Care Research Institute Evidence-based Practice Center team searched PubMed®, Embase®, and Medline from January, 2000 through May, 2019. When sufficient evidence existed, the body of evidence was assigned a strength rating of A (high), B (moderate), or C (low) for support of Strong, Moderate, or Conditional Recommendations. In the absence of sufficient evidence, additional information is provided as Clinical Principles and Expert Opinions. (Table 1) This summary is being simultaneously published in Fertility and Sterility and The Journal of Urology. Results This Guideline provides updated, evidence-based recommendations regarding evaluation of male infertility as well as the association of male infertility with other important health conditions. The detection of male infertility increases the risk of subsequent development of health problems for men. In addition, specific medical conditions are associated with some causes for male infertility. Evaluation and treatment recommendations are summarized in the associated algorithm. (Figure 1) CONCLUSION: The presence of male infertility is crucial to the health of patients and its effects must be considered for the welfare of society. This document will undergo updating as the knowledge regarding current treatments and future treatment options continues to expand.
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Semen analysis is the most basic evaluation of male infertility, and evaluation of semen parameters is currently based on the standards defined in the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen.
“Semen analysis (SA) represents the most basic evaluation of male infertility. The evaluation of semen parameters is currently based on the standards defined in the laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen created by the World Health Organization (WHO) [8,9,10].”
From The Sixth Edition of the WHO Manual for Human Semen Analysis: A Critical Review and SWOT Analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [10]
The guideline’s section on initial infertility evaluation recommends one or more semen analyses and calls semen analysis an important component of the initial male evaluation. That supports its role as a basic evaluation, but the passages from our copy do not say that semen parameters are evaluated according to standards in the WHO laboratory manual. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Cites
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Research works printed but not linked: 18
- The optimal evaluation of the infertile male: Aua best practice state- ment, 2010. Practice committee of the american society for reproductive medicine. Diagnostic evaluation of the infertile male: A committee opinion. Fertil Steril 2012;98:294.
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- Weiske WH, Salzler N, Schroeder-Printzen I, et al. Clinical findings in congenital absence of the vasa deferentia. Andrologia 2000;32:13. Diagn ostico y tratamiento de la infertilidad masculina: guía de la AUA/ ASRM parte 1. Objetivo: El resumen representa la Parte I de una serie de dos partes dedicada al diagn ostico y tratamiento de la infertilidad masculina: Guía de la AUA/ASRM. La primera parte describe la evaluaci on apropiada del hombre en una pareja inf ertil. Las recomendaciones pasan la realizaci on de una historia y un examen físico apropiados (Ap endice I), así como pruebas de diagn ostico, cuando est e resulte indicado. Materiales/M etodos: El equipo del Centro de Pr actica Basada en la Evidencia del Instituto de Investigaci on de Cuidados de Emergencia busc o en PubMed, Embase y Medline desde enero de 2000 hasta mayo de 2019. Cuando existían pruebas suficientes, se asignaba al conjunto de pruebas una calificaci on de A (alta), B (moderada) o C (baja) para el apoyo de las recomendaciones fuertes, moderadas o condicionales. En ausencia de pruebas suficientes, se proporciona informaci on adicional en forma de Principios Clínicos y Opiniones de Expertos. (Cuadro 1). Este resumen se publica simult aneamente en Fertility and Sterility y The Journal of Urology. Resultados: Esta guía proporciona recomendaciones actualizadas y basadas en la evidencia sobre la evaluaci on de la infertilidad mas- culina, así como la asociaci on de la infertilidad masculina con otras condiciones de salud importantes. La detecci on de la infertilidad masculina aumenta el riesgo de posterior desarrollo de los problemas de salud de los hombres. Adem as, determinadas afecciones m edicas se asocian con algunas causas de la infertilidad masculina. La evaluaci on y las recomendaciones de tratamiento se resumen en el algoritmo asociado. (Figura 1) on: La presencia de la infertilidad masculina es crucial para la salud de los pacientes y sus efectos deben ser considerados para bienestar de sociedad. Este documento se actualizar a a medida que contin el conocimiento sobre los tratamientos actuales y las opciones de tratamiento futuras para expandirse.
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Eisenberg, M. L., Esteves, S. C., Lamb, D. J., Hotaling, J. M., Giwercman, A., Hwang, K., & Cheng, Y.-S. (2023) · Nature Reviews Disease Primers · doi:10.1038/s41572-023-00459-w · Cited by 536 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Sixth Edition of the WHO Manual for Human Semen Analysis: A Critical Review and SWOT Analysis
Boitrelle, F., Shah, R., Saleh, R., Henkel, R., Kandil, H., Chung, E., Vogiatzi, P., Zini, A., Arafa, M., & Agarwal, A. (2021) · Life · doi:10.3390/life11121368 · Cited by 271 · see citing works
Self-citationGatimel, N., Barbotin, A., Mery, L., Beauvillard, D., Bendayan, M., Boursier, A., Boueilh, T., Pereira, B., Chammas, J., Jacquet, J., et al. (2026) · Andrology · doi:10.1111/andr.70134 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Schlegel, P. N., Sigman, M., Collura, B., De Jonge, C. J., Eisenberg, M. L., Lamb, D. J., Mulhall, J. P., Niederberger, C., Sandlow, J. I., Sokol, R. Z., Spandorfer, S. D., Tanrikut, C., Treadwell, J. R., Oristaglio, J. T., & Zini, A.
- Affiliations
- NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital (US)
- Brown University (US)
- ReSoLVE Center of Excellence (FI)
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Medical College of Wisconsin (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Georgetown University (US)
- ECRI Institute (US)
- McGill University (CA)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Fertility and Sterility
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-01
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 54-61
- ISSN
- 0015-0282 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3111127730
- Cited by
- 373
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 58 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 44 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 42.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Fertility and Sterility (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Gilead Sciences
- National Institutes of Health
- EMD Serono
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Male Reproductive Health Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Keywords
- male infertility, infertility evaluation, infertility diagnosis, infertility treatment, infertile couples, diagnostic testing, clinical guidelines
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Endocrinology, Female, Humans, Infertility, Male, Male, Pregnancy, Societies, Medical, Urology, Reproductive Medicine, Evidence-Based Practice
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