Male Infertility Following Spinal Cord Injury

ABSTRACT

Ejaculatory dysfunction and poor semen quality are responsible for male infertility following spinal cord injury (SCI). Techniques which have been used to obtain semen include intrathecal neostigmine, subcutaneous physostigmine, direct aspiration of sperm from the vas deferens, vibratory stimulation and electroejaculation. Vibratory stimulation and electroejaculation are most widely used in the United States and have a 50–90% success rate at obtaining semen. Poor semen quality following SCI has been attributed to stasis of semen, testicular hyperthermia, urinary tract infections, sperm contact with urine, possible changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, chronic use of various medications and possible sperm antibodies. The Outlook for having a child following SCI continues to improve with advancements in obtaining and processing sperm and assisted reproductive technologies.