Fertility of men with and without a varicocele.

The fertility of 742 men visiting our male infertility clinic was studied. A comparison was made between patients operated on for varicocele and patients treated in other ways. Of the men with a varicocele, 37.

Enzyme activity of human ejaculates, relation with abnormal liquefaction.

Five different enzyme activities were estimated in ejaculates obtained from 96 men visiting our infertility clinic. Sperm count showed a significant positive correlation with aspartate-aminotransferase (GOT) and alanine-aminotransferase (GPT). Acid phosphatase was positively correlated with gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) and citrate and negatively with fructose.

Comparison of photographic (multiple-exposure photography) and conventional evaluation of ejaculates for fertility prognosis.

Semen obtained from 191 men visiting our infertility clinic was studied by MEP and conventional methods. With MEP, sperm count, percentage of motility, sperm velocity, straight line approach, and speed constancy were determined. Two years afterward 49 of the men appeared to have fertilized their partners.

Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and beta-glucuronidase in human ejaculates. Relation with abnormal liquefaction.

Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP) and beta-glucuronidase activity were measured with commercial kits in 104 ejaculates. The two enzyme activities showed a positive correlation and GGTP activity was significantly correlated with sperm number and citrate concentration. GGTP activity is probably from prostatic origin.

Double-blind cross over treatment with mesterolone and placebo of subfertile oligozoospermic men value of testicular biopsy.

Fifty-nine carefully selected oligozoospermic men were randomly treated with mesterolone (75 mg/day) or placebo to improve fertility. After 6 months the medication was changed from mesterolone to placebo or vice versa. Fourteen pregnancies occurred, 7 under mesterolone and 7 under placebo.

Proteolytic enzymes stimulate human spermatozoal motility and in vitro hamster egg penetration.

Addition of chymotrypsin or trypsin decreased the viscosity of highly viscous semen of subfertile patients. Besides that spermatozoal motility (in 50-80% of the case) and in vitro fertilizing ability was measured with zona-free hamster ova (in 35% of the cases) were increased of both normal and highly viscous semen.

Fertility of rats with artificial oligozoospermia.

Three different methods to obtain "oligospermic" rats were investigated. (1) Surgical reduction of the amount of tubular tissue diminished the number of spermatozoa present in the epididymis, but the animals were not infertile as long as they were able to ejaculate (32/33 rats). (2) Treatment with oestradiol benzoate on the 5th day after birth caused only slight reduction of spermatogenesis and most of these animals were fertile.

The duration of infertility: an important datum for the fertility prognosis of men with semen abnormalities.

In a group of 584 men with semen abnormalities the relationship between conception and the duration of infertility was studied. "Spontaneous" pregnancies were reported significantly more frequently for men with an infertility duration of less than 2 years than for men with an infertility duration of more than 2 years. Seventy-three conceptions occurred "spontaneously" and sixty-six occurred while the men were undergoing different forms of therapy.

Serum gonadotrophins in rats after catration or heat treatment of the testes.

In rats spermatogenesis was disturbed by heat treatment of the testes. This resulted in increases of both LH and FSH. The increased gonadotrophin levels could be suppressed with testosterone.

Value of a testicular biopsy rating for prognosis in oligozoospermia.

Testicular biopsies of 142 oligozoospermic men were used to obtain a testicular biopsy score count. These scores were clearly related to the chance of fertility, in contra-distinction to data on hormone concentrations and from analysis of semen. In 36 patients with a score of 9-10 there were 15 pregnancies; in 59 patients with a score of 8-9, 12; and in 47 patients with scores below 8 there was only one successful pregnancy, though this last group also contained an additional three patients whose wives' pregnancies ended in miscarriages.

Serum gonadotrophins, testosterone and spermatogenesis in subfertile men.

In 210 subfertile men there existed a significant positive correlation between serum FSH and LH (0.41). No correlation was observed between the gonadotrophin levels and testosterone.