Frequency and epidemiologic aspects of male infertility

According to different geographical conditions, human health in different sub-regions of the world and cultural differences, the male factor infertility has heterogeneous causes in the world. This study was performed in an attempt to clarify the associated factors which might play a role in this respect in a group of Iranian infertile men. This study was a cross - sectional, descriptive and retrospective study. The information was obtained from the men who had attended the clinic from March 2004-2006. The factors which were studied in this research are the demographic characteristics, smoking, addiction, alcohol drinking, and exposure to lead, cimetidine and history of surgery. In 23.7 % of couples the cause of infertility was pure male factor and in 19.3 % of them the problem was related to male and female factor both. The most important associated factors for male factor included smoking (29%) and history of varicocele operation (22%). Since the quality of individual and social life is related to fertility state, it seems that more comprehensive studies on factors affecting male fertility at the community level are justified and recommended.