MALE-INFERTILITY - 155 CONSECUTIVE CASES

This paper reviews the first 155 cases of male infertility seen at the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital during the three-year period, 1981 to 1983. There was a high incidence (46%) of primary testicular failure of unexplained etiology as well as idiopathic oligospermia (27%) and obstructive azoospermia (27%). Semen abnormalities were more profound than those seen in the West and a significant number of infertility cases were due to the male factor alone. The relationship between absent spermatogenesis on testicular biopsy and raised follicle stimulating hormone levels is confirmed. Scrotal varicoceles were associated with profound histologic testicular changes, and therefore varicocele surgery did not improve the chances of pregnancy, as reported in the West.