The effect of pure FSH administration in non-obstructive azoospermic men on testicular sperm retrieval

Abstract Background : In cases of azoospermia due to impaired spermatogenesis, spermatozoa can be retrieved by sperm extraction (TESE) from testicular biopsy. Objective : To evaluate the efficacy of pure follicle-stimulating hormone (pFSH) on sperm recovery, and measure the predictive value of testicular histology. Study design : In all, 108 patients were studied. These included those with Sertoli cell-only ( n =16), focal spermatogenesis ( n =36), maturation arrest ( n =19) and hypospermatogenesis ( n =37) in previous explorative biopsies. All had normal serum FSH, LH and testosterone levels. In 63 cases, 75IU pFSH were administered, either i.m. or s.c., three times a week, for 3 months and the control group ( n =45) no treatment was given. Results : The sperm retrieval rate was 64% (40/63 pts.) in pFSH treated men versus 33% (15/45 pts.) in controls ( P P >0.05); and 3/8 (37%) versus 5/11 (45%) in maturation arrest ( P >0.05); 6/14 (42%) versus 18/23 (78%) in hypospermatogenesis ( P P P Conclusion : pFSH treatment improves the success of TESE for non-obstructive azoospermic men with normal FSH levels.