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Infertility in Males

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Male infertility affects millions of couples worldwide, arising from various factors that impact different stages of the reproductive process. An endocrine imbalance resulting from conditions like hypogonadism, Klinefelter syndrome, or pituitary disorders can disrupt hormone levels and reduce sperm production. Testicular defects, such as tumors, cryptorchidism, atrophic testes, abnormal sperm morphology, and low sperm count or motility, may arise due to genetic factors, structural...

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Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid sperm cells are produced in the male testes. It starts with stem cells located close to the outer rim of seminiferous tubules. These spermatogonial stem cells divide asymmetrically to give rise to additional stem cells (meaning that these structures “self-renew”), as well as sperm progenitors, called spermatocytes. Importantly, this method of asymmetric mitotic division maintains a population of spermatogonial stem cells in the male reproductive...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection

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Published on: January 26, 2024

Prognostic value of germ cells in the ejaculate: a case study.

L M Sardi-Segovia¹, A E Rocher, M N Pugliese

¹Department Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Hospital, Buenos Aires University, Argentina.

Biotechnic & Histochemistry : Official Publication of the Biological Stain Commission

|March 23, 2010

Summary

A novel germ cell to sperm ratio in semen can identify damaged spermatogenesis. This ratio may predict the progression from oligospermia to azoospermia, offering a new diagnostic marker for male infertility.

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Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects

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Published on: April 21, 2022

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Andrology
Cell Biology

Background:

Spermiogram analysis traditionally focuses on sperm count, motility, and morphology.
Assessing other ejaculated cells, like germ cells (GC), is often overlooked in male fertility evaluations.
Normal spermatogenesis relies on a delicate balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Observation:

A patient with oligospermia presented with an elevated GC/sperm ratio (>1), suggesting impaired spermatogenesis.
Various cytological techniques, including Papanicolaou stain, TEM, and TUNEL assay, were used to characterize germ cell apoptosis.
Ultrastructural analysis revealed distinct nuclear and cytoplasmic features of apoptosis in germ cells.

Findings:

The GC/sperm ratio is proposed as a novel index for detecting abnormal spermatogenesis.
Apoptotic changes in germ cells were identified through morphological and ultrastructural examinations.
Specific cytological features indicative of apoptosis were correlated with ultrastructural findings.

Implications:

This study introduces a non-invasive semen-based cytological marker for abnormal spermatogenesis.
The GC/sperm ratio may serve as a predictive biomarker for the transition from oligospermia to azoospermia.
This finding offers a potential alternative to testicular biopsy for diagnosing testicular dysfunction.