Follicle-stimulating hormone treatment of male infertility

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Treatment with gonadotrophins is very effective in patients affected by hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. The success of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment in these men has brought the utilization of the same therapy in infertile oligozoospermic patients, aimed at obtaining a quantitative increase in sperm count. RECENT FINDINGS: FSH plays a crucial role in human reproduction. This physiological role in spermatogenesis has induced various attempts to treat idiopathic oligozoospermic men with FSH, often inducing the restoration of normal spermatogenesis and spontaneous pregnancy. However, the results obtained so far are still controversial. In this research, attention is focused on the possible criteria able to predict a seminal response to the specific hormonal treatment. Moreover, we have correlated different polymorphisms of FSH receptor gene with the outcome of FSH treatment. In this article, the literature is reviewed, and the authors' experience on using FSH treatment in oligozoospermic patients is discussed. SUMMARY: FSH treatment may represent a valid tool for infertile men. However, it should be performed on selected patients utilizing some predictive parameters able to identify a priori responder patients with high probability.