Prevalence of Male Infertility in West Bank

Introduction: Reproductive health in Palestine focused mainly on women health and ignoring the role of men, in spite of the important role that men are playing in reproduction and fertility which impact his family and environment Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the main causes of male infertility in two infertility centers in West Bank. Methods: A convenience sample of 627 medical records for Palestinian males diagnosed with infertility in Razan centers in Ramallah and Nablus governorates between 2007 and 2009 were retrospectively reviewed for the cause of their infertility. Results: Male factor alone was accounted for 52% of infertility among couples, of these 522/627 (83.3%) had primary infertility and 105/627 (16.7%) had secondary infertility. The mean duration of infertility was 5 + 3.99 years and the mean age for male cases was 33.5 + 7.24 years The most common causes among infertile men were, idiopathic infertility 237/627 (37.6%), varicocele 203/627 (32.4%), obstruction of the seminal tract 113/627 (18%), and hormonal problems 32/627 (5.1%). Least common causes found were, medication 13/627 (2.1%), spinal cord injury 11/627 (1.8%), cryptorchidism 10/627 (1.6%), and testicular failure 8/627 (1.3%). Conclusion: More than half of the infertile couples were from an idiopathic causes. Study results confirm that understanding about male reproductive function and the environmental factors that affect it is insufficient. Recommendation: Further studies should be conducted to assess the environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to idiopathic male infertility in West Bank.