Jacob H. Aafjes

Fertility of men with and without a varicocele.

The fertility of 742 men visiting our male infertility clinic was studied. A comparison was made between patients operated on for varicocele and patients treated in other ways. Of the men with a varicocele, 37.8% impregnated their partners; of the men without a varicocele, 21.5%. By subdivision of the total group of patients into those with sperm counts above and those with sperm counts below 20 X 10(6)/ml, it appeared that only men with low sperm counts operated on for varicocele showed a significantly higher fertility, as compared with patients not having a varicocele. It is suggested that patients not having oligozoospermia perhaps have spermatozoal defects other than too low a number as the principal cause of their infertility which do not significantly improve after varicocele operation.

Proteolytic enzymes stimulate human spermatozoal motility and in vitro hamster egg penetration

Addition of chymotrypsin or trypsin decreased the viscosity of highly viscous semen of subfertile patients. Besides that spermatozoal motility (in 50-80% of the case) and in vitro fertilizing ability was measured with zona-free hamster ova (in 35% of the cases) were increased of both normal and highly viscous semen.

Double-blind cross over treatment with mesterolone and placebo of subfertile oligozoospermic men value of testicular biopsy.

Doppelblind‐cross over‐Studie einer Therapie mit Mesterolon von Männern mit Oligozoospermie Die Bedeutung der Hodenbiopsie

Fumarase Activity in Human Ejaculate Relationship to Sperm‐Motility or ‐Penetration of Zona‐Free Hamster Eggs

Fumarase activity, sperm count, sperm motility and in vitro fertilizing ability of spermatozoa were determined in semen samples of 69 men attending an infertility clinic. There existed a significant correlation between sperm count and fumarase activity (r = 0.52). No significant relationship was observed between sperm motility or hamster egg fertilizing ability of the spermatozoa and fumarase activity. From these results it is concluded that fumarase activity in human ejaculates can probably not be used to define the fertilizing ability of spermatozoa.

Comparison of photographic (multiple-exposure photography) and conventional evaluation of ejaculates for fertility prognosis

Semen obtained from 191 men visiting our infertility clinic was studied by MEP and conventional methods. With MEP, sperm count, percentage of motility, sperm velocity, straight line approach, and speed constancy were determined. Two years afterward 49 of the men appeared to have fertilized their partners. Between the fertile and infertile men, no differences in motility values determined by MEP could be detected. The only differences observed existed in sperm count and duration of infertility.