ObjectivesTo highlight alternative treatment options other than exogenous testosterone administration for hypogonadal men with concomitant infertility or who wish to preserve their fertility potential, as testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) inhibits spermatogenesis, representing a problem for hypogonadal men of reproductive age.Materials and methodsWe performed a comprehensive literature review for the years 1978–2017 via PubMed. Also abstracts from major urological/surgical conferences were reviewed. Review was consistent with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. We used Medical Subject Heading terms for the search including ‘testosterone replacement therapy’ or ‘TRT’ and ‘male infertility’.ResultsIn all, 91 manuscripts were screened and the final number used for the review was 56. All studies included were performed in adults, were written in English and had an abstract available.ConclusionsExogenous testosterone inhibits spermatogenesis. Hypogonadal men wanting to preserve their fertility and at the same time benefiting from TRT effects can be prescribed selective oestrogen receptor modulators or testosterone plus low-dose human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). Patients treated for infertility with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism can be prescribed hCG alone at first followed by or in combination from the start with follicle-stimulating hormone preparations.

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We aimed to determine the level of miRNAs 16 and 135a in lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) patients versus controls. Moreover, we evaluated the potential interplay between the studied miRNAs and fluoxetine in these patients after utilizing fluoxetine daily for 3 months. The study involved 60 consecutive LPE patients and 20 healthy age matched individuals as controls. The median miRNA16 was significantly higher in the controls (1.02) compared to the patients (0.31) (p < 0.001). Moreover, the median miRNA‐135a was significantly higher in the controls compared to the patients 1.02 and 0.35, p < 0.001, respectively. In addition, the median pre‐treatment miRNA16 in the responders was 0.29 that significantly increased to 0.66 (p < 0.001). The median pre‐treatment miRNA‐135a in the responders was 0.27 that significantly increased to 0.65 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, considering EXP(β) for the odds ratio evaluation, with a 95% degree of confidence, a 1 fold increase in pre‐treatment miRNA 135a fold change decreases the odds for being responsive to SSRI by 0.028. Meanwhile, there was non‐significant association between fluoxetine responsiveness and age, pre‐treatment miRNA 16, pre‐treatment PEDT and pre‐treatment IELT. The current study had shown that a lower pre‐treatment miRNA 135a was significantly associated with response to fluoxetine.

Purpose The purpose of this meta-analysis is to study the impact of varicocele repair in the largest cohort of infertile males with clinical varicocele by including all available studies, with no language restrictions, comparing intra-person conventional semen parameters before and after the repair of varicoceles. Materials and Methods The meta-analysis was performed according to PRISMA-P and MOOSE guidelines. A systematic search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Eligible studies were selected according to the PICOS model (Population: infertile male patients with clinical varicocele; Intervention: varicocele repair; Comparison: intra-person before-after varicocele repair; Outcome: conventional semen parameters; Study type: randomized controlled trials [RCTs], observational and case-control studies). Results Out of 1,632 screened abstracts, 351 articles (23 RCTs, 292 observational, and 36 case-control studies) were included in the quantitative analysis. The before-and-after analysis showed significant improvements in all semen parameters after varicocele repair (except sperm vitality); semen volume: standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.203, 95% CI: 0.129–0.278; p<0.001; I 2 =83.62%, Egger’s p=0.3329; sperm concentration: SMD 1.590, 95% CI: 1.474–1.706; p<0.001; I 2 =97.86%, Egger’s p<0.0001; total sperm count: SMD 1.824, 95% CI: 1.526–2.121; p<0.001; I 2 =97.88%, Egger’s p=0.0063; total motile sperm count: SMD 1.643, 95% CI: 1.318–1.968; p<0.001; I 2 =98.65%, Egger’s p=0.0003; progressive sperm motility: SMD 1.845, 95% CI: 1.537%–2.153%; p<0.001; I 2 =98.97%, Egger’s p<0.0001; total sperm motility: SMD 1.613, 95% CI 1.467%–1.759%; p<0.001; l2=97.98%, Egger’s p<0.001; sperm morphology: SMD 1.066, 95% CI 0.992%–1.211%; p<0.001; I 2 =97.87%, Egger’s p=0.1864. Conclusions The current meta-analysis is the largest to date using paired analysis on varicocele patients. In the current meta-analysis, almost all conventional semen parameters improved significantly following varicocele repair in infertile patients with clinical varicocele.

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