Infertility Flashcards
After how many months of unprotected SI, without conception, is a couple deemed infertile?
24 months
After how may month of unprotected SI, without conception, is it before a couple may be referred to fertility services?
12 months
What is primary infertility?
A couple have never conceived before
What is secondary infertility?
A couple have conceived previously
What are the four broad, over-arching, causes of infertility?
- Female factor
- Male factor
- Mixed
- Unexplained
What are the 3 types of female factor causes of infertility?
- Anovulation
- Obstruction to fertilisation
- Obstruction to implantation
What are the causes of anovulation?
- Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
- Hyperprolactinaemia
- PCOS
- Hypo/hyper-thyroidism
- Premature ovarian failure
How may fertilisation be obstructed?
By tubal blockage, through either PID, endometriosis or adhesions from previous surgery
How may implantation be obstructed?
Fibroids
How may the causes of male factor infertility be categorized?
- Pre-testicular
- Testicular
- Post-testicular
What are the pre-testicular causes of infertility?
- Smoking
- Drugs that decrease FSH
- Secondary hypogonadism (hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism)
What drug may decrease FSH?
Phenytoin
How may causes of hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism be categorised?
- Hypothalamic causes
2. Hypopituitarism causes
What are the hypothalamic causes of hypogonadotrophic hypongonadism?
- Obesity
2. Kallmann syndrome
What are the hypopituitarsim causes of hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism?
- Pituitary adenoma
- (Rarely) other brain tumours - e.g. menigioma, glioma, mets, craniopharyngioma
- Infection of the brain or gland itself
- Infiltration - e.g. neurosarcoidosis
- Inflammation - e.g. autoimmune attack
- Empty sellae syndrome
- Pituitary apoplexy (haemorrhage or infarction)
- Radiation
- TBI
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Surgery
- Congenital
What are the testicular causes of male infertility?
- Maldescention
- Testicular cancer
- Trauma
- Radiotherapy
- Drugs that decrease sperm motility
- Genetic factors
- Primary hypogonadism
Which drugs can decrease sperm motility?
Sulfasalazine and nitrofurantoin
What are the causes of primary hypogonadism?
- Klinefelter’s
- Mumps
- Varicocelle
- Anabolic steroids
What are the post-testicular causes of male factor infertility?
- Obstruction of the vas deferens
- CAVD
- Infection - e.g. prostatitis
- Ejaculatory duct dysfunction
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Impotence
When can referral to infertility services be expedited?
- > /=36 y/o
- Known clinical cause of infertility (e.g. Turner’s)
- Treatment is planned that may cause infertility, e.g. cancer treatment
- Patient(s) known to have chronic infection, e.g. HIV/hep that requires risk-reduction infertility treatment
What is the classic triad of congenital rubella syndrome?
- Sensioneural deafness
- Eye abnormalities - esp. cataracts
- CHD - esp. PDA
What is the lower limit of normal for semen volume?
1.5ml
What is the lower limit of normal for semen pH?
7.2
What is the lower limit of normal for sperm concentration in semen?
15 million/ml
What is the lower limit of normal for total number of sperm in a semen sample?
39 million/ejaculate
What is the lower limit of normal for total sperm motility in a semen sample?
40% motile (progressive and non-progressive - A+B)
32% progressively motile (A)
What is the lower limit of normal for sperm vitality in a semen sample?
58% living
What is the lower limit of normal for sperm morphology is a semen sample?
4% normal forms