ABSTRACT
Subfertility, defined as 1 year of unprotected intercourse without conception, affects 10-15% of couples. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 47% of subfertile couples semen parameters are impaired1. However, as subfertility can be caused by a combination of various female and male factors, the WHO criteria for semen analysis are of limited diagnostic value for establishing the contribution of impaired spermatogenesis to subfertility. Therefore, the exact prevalence of subfertility exclusively based on impaired spermatogenesis is not known. Nevertheless, both azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia are generally considered to be significant causes of subfertility.
