Male Infertility and Its Causes in Human

• Main Authors: Toshinobu Miyamoto, Akira Tsujimura, Yasushi Miyagawa, Eitetsu Koh, Mikio Namiki, Kazuo Sengoku
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2012-01-01
• Series: Advances in Urology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/384520

Infertility is one of the most serious social problems facing advanced nations. In general, approximate half of all cases of infertility are caused by factors related to the male partner. To date, various treatments have been developed for male infertility and are steadily producing results. However, there is no effective treatment for patients with nonobstructive azoospermia, in which there is an absence of mature sperm in the testes. Although evidence suggests that many patients with male infertility have a genetic predisposition to the condition, the cause has not been elucidated in the vast majority of cases. This paper discusses the environmental factors considered likely to be involved in male infertility and the genes that have been clearly shown to be involved in male infertility in humans, including our recent findings.