Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Hum Fertil (Camb). 2023 Dec;26(2):276-283. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2022.2081095. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
The female infertility experience is well-described, but the male experience is less explored. We sought to understand if fertility motivations and quality of life differ for males undergoing fertility evaluation by a reproductive urologist (RU) versus a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). A cross-sectional study of 201 males undergoing fertility evaluation at an academic centre, by either a RU or RE, over a 2-year period, was performed. A survey was administered, with demographic, medical, and fertility motivations questions, and the validated Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) questionnaire. Responses were compared by provider type using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and -test. Most men (91.1%) pursued evaluation because of a mutual desire for children. RE evaluated males were older, earned higher incomes, and were more likely to pursue IVF versus those RU evaluated ( < 0.05). Men evaluated by RUs had lower FertiQoL scores, ( < 0.05), which correlated with having known male factor infertility ( < 0.05). Nearly all (96.2%) men evaluated by RUs indicated this was helpful for understanding their infertility. Our findings provide new insight into the male fertility evaluation experience. Despite the lower QoL seen by men seeing a RU, nearly all men reported that a RU evaluation was helpful for understanding their infertility experience.
女性不孕不育的经历描述得较为详细，但男性不孕不育的经历却较少被探讨。我们试图了解男性在接受生殖泌尿科医生（RU）或生殖内分泌学家（RE）进行生育评估时，其生育动机和生活质量是否存在差异。本研究为一项横断面研究，在 2 年内对在学术中心接受 RU 或 RE 进行生育评估的 201 名男性进行了研究。采用问卷调查的方式收集了人口统计学、医学和生育动机方面的问题，以及经过验证的生育质量生活问卷（FertiQoL）。采用描述性统计、卡方检验和 t 检验比较了不同提供者类型的反应。大多数男性（91.1%）因为双方都想要孩子而选择进行评估。RE 评估的男性年龄更大，收入更高，更倾向于选择 IVF 而非 RU 评估（ < 0.05）。RU 评估的男性 FertiQoL 评分较低（ < 0.05），这与已知的男性因素不孕不育有关（ < 0.05）。RU 评估的几乎所有男性（96.2%）都表示这有助于他们了解自己的不孕不育问题。我们的研究结果为男性生育评估的体验提供了新的见解。尽管 RU 评估的男性生活质量较低，但几乎所有男性都表示 RU 评估有助于他们了解自己的不孕不育经历。
