Empirical therapies for idiopathic male infertility

Abstract

The collective diagnosis of idiopathic infertility most likely comprises a multitude of different pathogenic mechanisms. One of andrology's most important and exciting tasks is to disclose the workings of these mechanisms und ultimately to eliminate their cause by rational therapy. New points of departure are expected from research on molecular genetics and biological regulation of spermatogenesis; the effects of gonado-tropins and sex hormones at the molecular level, and the biology of the gametes. Examples of such accomplishments of research are the microdeletions of the Y chromosome, the CFTR mutations in congenital bilateral aplasia of the vas deferens (CBAVD) and the pathology of the androgen receptor. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.