Medical treatment for male infertility generally falls under two categories: specific therapy and empiric therapy. In approaching a patient, it is practical to first seek a clear etiology to which a specific strategy can be applied rather than using medication for all infertile patients. When a cause cannot be identified, several hormonal therapies are available. It is difficult to predict who will respond to empiric hormonal treatment of idiopathic infertility, but this choice may prove valuable in conjunction with advanced assisted reproductive techniques.
Specific therapy
GonadotropinsHypogonadotropic hypogonadism accounts for less than 1% of all cases of male infertility and is discussed in great detail by Layman elsewhere in this issue. Gonadotropin replacement is the rational treatment and is the only clearly accepted and effective management of associated infertility. Normal male fertility requires adequate levels of intratesticular testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); the latter has been shown to initiate and maintain spermatogenesis [1,2]. FSH administered to men who have hypogonadotropic hypogonadism has demonstrated increases in sperm count, motility, morphology, and testicular volume [3]. Thus, it has been postulated that treatment solely with FSH may be adequate, however prolonged.