Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Infertility is defined as failure to achieve pregnancy after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility can be related to male or female factors. Varicocele is the most common cause of infertility in men that is correctable with surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH) on semen parameters in infertile men.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial was done on 96 infertile men admitted to the Women's General Hospital Mohebe-Yas from September 2014 to September 2015. Inclusion criteria were to include varicocelectomy for unilateral idiopathic varicoceles and consent to participate in the study. Allergy to the drug combination and patient dissatisfaction were exclusion criteria. Patients participating in the study were divided into two groups randomly, one group received recombinant FSH three times a week and the other group received a placebo (normal saline) in the same way. After three months, the improvement of semen parameters, including motility, morphology and sperm count as well as the complications were determined in both groups. The data were analyzed with statistical software SPSS version 13 (Chicago, IL, USA).

Results: A total of 96 patients were enrolled in two groups of 48 men and women both groups were matched in terms of underlying factors. The rate of improvement in the morphology and motility of sperm in the treated group was significantly more than the placebo group (P= 0.0001) but the changes in sperm count were not significantly different between the groups (P= 0.495).

Conclusion: In summary, based on the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that recombinant FSH is effective on improving semen parameters in infertile men after varicocelectomy compared with a placebo group and its major impact is on the morphology and motility of sperm.