Online Access to Male Infertility Care: The Challenge of Finding a Male Infertility Specialist

Abstract Objective To investigate internet search results available to couples searching for a male infertility specialist. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Online search engine. Patients The phrase “male infertility specialist ” was searched in Google for 50 states and Washington D.C. Top ten results (first page) of each search were evaluated for website content. Intervention None Main Outcome Measure(s) The first page of each search was evaluated for provider type (urology vs obstetrics and gynecology [OBGYN]), level of training (fellowship vs none), male fertility information provided and procedures offered. We compared search position rank (1-10) to determine the likelihood of finding a urologist vs OBGYN. Results 419 individual results were identified; the majority were OBGYN-related (N=229, 54.7%). Urology-related results appeared higher than OBGYN-related results (median 4 vs. 5, p=0.01). Andrology fellowship-trained urologists were identified in 153 (36.5%) results. Among 229 OBGYN results, 152 unique practices were identified. A small portion (N=38, 16.6%) of these practices had a fellowship-trained urologist identified on the website. The majority of OBGYN websites did not mention vasectomy reversal (N=116, 76.3%) or varicocele repair (N=93, 61.2%). A minority of practices offered referral to urologists for sperm extraction (N=23, 15.1%) or offered sperm retrieval themselves (N=23, 15.1%). Conclusions When searching online for a male infertility specialist, the majority of results identified OBGYN physicians. A large proportion of OBGYN websites lacked information on male fertility treatments and did not offer these treatments. These data indicate the need for a more robust online presence of male reproductive urologists to optimize online access.