Limitations and barriers in access to care for male factor infertility

Abstract

The primary challenge to identifying and addressing barriers in access to care for male factor infertility is accurate measurement of the prevalence of male infertility. Current estimates are based on couples pursuing assisted reproduction, and likely underestimate the problem. These estimates also fail to account for the number of patients facing infertility due to cancer or cancer treatment. Lack of health insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility presents a major barrier for couples struggling with infertility. However, it is not the only barrier. Education level, household income, cultural norms, religious beliefs, geographic location, and the availability of specialty-trained reproductive urologists are all important factors in determining the ease with which patients access and obtain infertility care. Addressing each of these obstacles directly is imperative to improving reproductive care and outcomes for infertile couples in the United States.

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is present in human spermatozoa and is related with sperm motility. The use of recombinant FGF2 to improve motile sperm recovery

“…Infertility affects nearly 50 million couples in reproductive age worldwide, and male factor contributes to approximately 50% of these cases (Agarwal et al ., ). Male infertility can be attributed to multiple factors, although sperm dysfunction (and particularly defects in sperm motility) is one of the most common causes of male infertility (Mascarenhas et al ., ; Kumar & Singh, ; Mehta et al ., ). To date, male infertility diagnosis is mainly based on the results of standard semen analysis; however, nearly one‐third of men with normal values in routine semen parameters are unable to achieve pregnancy revealing the limited value of this analysis as a diagnostic tool (Ray et al ., ; Pizzol et al ., ).…”

Gender differences in factors associated with depression in infertility patients

“…A review of 33 studies revealed that women had more negative experiences with infertility than men in many domains, such as depression, anxiety, stigmatization, self-esteem, stress, and identity (Casu & Gremigni, 2016;Ying, Wu, & Loke, 2016). However, male infertility has historically been an overlooked problem (Ahmadi, Montaser-Kouhsari, Nowroozi, & Bazargan-Hejazi, 2011;Mehta, Nangia, Dupree, & Smith, 2016). In some societies, infertile men are stigmatized as futile and useless, because children are highly valued for socio-cultural and economic reasons and the lack of an heir is the gravest offense against filial piety (Ahmadi et al, 2011;Alhassan, Ziblim, & Muntaka, 2014;Lee & Chu, 2001).…”

Male Infertility is a Women’s Health Issue—Research and Clinical Evaluation of Male Infertility Is Needed

“…There are multiple epidemiologic, geographic, epistemic, financial, socioeconomic, and policy-based barriers that, compounded with our lack of knowledge, make it challenging for men to obtain high-quality infertility care [37]. One barrier to men seeking infertility treatment is that male specialists (andrologists) are not usually part of the infertility treatment team.…”