8: Male infertility Flashcards
What area of the embryo has the potential to develop into male or female gonads?
Bipotential gonad ridge
Which named ducts develop into the genital tract in
a) males
b) females?
a) Wolffian duct
b) Mullerian duct
Which hormone is produced by the testes and encourages development of the male genital tract?
Testosterone
Which genital tract develops in the absence of testosterone?
Female genital tract
The presence of a Y chromosome causes the development of the ___ genital tract.
male
The absence of a Y chromosome causes the development of the ___ genital tract.
female genital tract
XX OR XO
A congenital insensitivity to androgens i.e testosterone causes what presentation?
Male with external female genitalia but no uterus or ovaries
Often brought up as female until puberty
There is a fold of ___ around the scrotum.
What disease can develop from this?
peritoneum
hydrocele
Where do the testes develop?
Abdominal cavity
Which muscles contract to lift the scrotum in cold temperatures?
Dartos / cremasteric muscle
What is another name for undescended testes?
Cryptorchidism
Having undescended testes increases a patient’s chances of developing which disease?
Sperm cell cancer
Within the testes, which cells
a) produce testosterone
b) support sperm cells?
a) Leydig cells
b) Sertoli cells
Describe the production of FSH and LH by the anterior pituitary in
a) females
b) males?
a) Cyclical
b) Constant
Which hormone is released in a pulsatile manner by the hypothalamus?
GnRH
Which hormone triggers spermatogenesis in men?
FSH
Which hormone triggers testosterone secretion by Leydig cells?
LH
Which hormone is released by Leydig cells and stimulates spermatogenesis?
Testosterone
Which enzymes do sperm cells use to digest the zona pellucida of an egg?
Acrosomes
Which reaction stops multiple fertilisations of an egg cell?
Zonal reaction
Which nervous system controls erection?
Parasympathetic
PS - point & shoot
What is the most common cause of infertility?
Male infertility
for a variety of reasons
What is thought to be causing a decrease in male fertility (sperm counts)?
Environmental factors
e.g oestrogen
Male infertility can be ___ or ___.
obstructive
non-obstructive
What are some obstructive causes of male infertility?
Cystic fibrosis
Vasectomy
What are some non-obstructive causes of male infertility?
Undescended testes
Mumps infection
Genetic syndromes e.g Klinefelter’s
Chemo/radiotherapy
Endocrine disease (virtually all of them)
What is a chromosomal disorder which causes male infertility?
Klinefelter syndrome
(47 XXY)
What is the most common endocrine cause of male infertility?
Hyperprolactinaemia
What chronic endocrine disease commonly causes erectile dysfunction?
Diabetes
Male bodybuilders who use which type of drug are at risk of male infertility?
Steroids
How long do sperm cells take to mature?
3 months
If a semen sample is dodgy, when would you repeat it?
6 weeks later
What are levels of LH, FSH and testosterone like in obstructive male infertility?
All normal
Describe FSH, LH and testosterone levels in non-obstructive male infertility.
FSH and LH up
Testosterone normal or down
What is an intentional cause of obstructive male infertility?
Can it be reversed?
Vasectomy
Yes
What assisted reproduction techniques can be used for male infertility?
DI
ICSI
What is the success rate of ICSI?
35%
What is azoospermia?
Condition in which a man’s semen contains no sperm
How is sperm obtained for ICSI in men with azoospermia?
Surgical sperm aspiration
