Treatment discontinuation in couples consulting for male infertility after failing to conceive

ObjectiveTo evaluate rates and reasons for treatment discontinuation in couples with male factor infertility and who failed to conceive.DesignRetrospective study.SettingMale Sterility Center, University Hospital.Patient(s)A total of 407 couples consulting for male factor infertility and who discontinued treatment without conceiving.Intervention(s)None.Main Outcome Measure(s)Treatment, reasons for dropout, and reproductive outcomes after discontinuation.Result(s)Of the 407 patients, 218 (54%) had had fertility treatment (medical or surgical), and 189 (46%) underwent assisted reproductive techniques (ART) (intrauterine insemination [IUI], in vitro fertilization [IVF], or intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI]). The main reasons for dropout were painfulness of treatment (15% for patients with non-ART treatment vs. 32% for patients who had undergone ART), its ineffectiveness (12% vs. 26%), and separation of the couple (18% vs. 7%). Of the 407 patients, 27% consulted in another fertility center, 8% succeeded in having a child by ART with male partner sperm, 1% by ART with donor sperm, and 11% through adoption.Conclusion(s)About half of the couples consulting for male factor infertility discontinued fertility treatment, and of those who discontinued only a fifth finally succeeded in having a child. Although support is available to couples during fertility care, ART is a physical and psychological burden.