[Prevention of sterility].

An overview is given about possibly preventable causes of infertility. The best chances for prevention are in tubal sterility and ectopic pregnancy. Methods of "primary prevention" are reduction of STD by health education and epidemiologic actions, by reduction and improvement of intrauterine operations in young women. The most important methods in "secondary prevention" are early and optimal treatment of PID and organ preservation in ectopic pregnancy. The difficulties in prophylaxis of endocrine infertility are discussed. For prevention of male infertility some procedures are necessary: Prevention resp. optimal treatment of genital infections, early treatment of development disorders and varicocele and elimination of chemical and physical noxes on male fertility.