The global health problems of infertility and sperm dysfunction

The global health problems of infertility and sperm dysfunction In a world in which population growth and its subsequent control seem to be critical problems, it is counterintuitive to think that one in six couples are subfertile (still trying for a child after over 1 year of unprotected intercourse). In fact, approximately 80 million couples throughout the world are subfertile [1]. What is perhaps more surprising is that male infertility accounts for at least 50% of these cases and that sperm dysfunction (sperm being present in the ejaculate but lacking ‘normal’ function) is the single most common cause, affecting approximately one in 20 men. This is a high proportion of the population compared with other prevalent diseases; male subfertility is thus a very significant global problem and, most worryingly, reports suggest that its prevalence is increasing.