ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the effect of HIV on the male reproductive system and on the management of male infertility. HIV was not fully recognized by clinicians and scientists until 1981 (1). In the year 2005, it has been estimated that there were 40.3 million people living with HIV. Currently the largest site of the epidemic is in sub-Saharan Africa (Table 1) (2). It is possible that the virulence of the virus may change (3) or mutations may render current testing strategies ineffective; however, new and increasingly effective treatments are being developed. After infection with HIV, there is a latent period of a number of years when the person remains well but the virus can be detected in the blood. At this early stage, treatment with antiviral agents such as zidovudine (AZT) has been shown to delay the progression of the disease. For these reasons, it is important to have a cautious and flexible approach so as to minimize risk to infertile couples and to future children.
