SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF INFERTILITY DUE TO RETROGRADE EJACULATION USING ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: A REPORT OF TWO CASES

Although retrograde ejaculation is a relatively uncommon cause of infertility, it is nonetheless the most common cause of ejaculatory dysfunction. Retrograde ejaculation is characterized by either all or part of the seminal fluid going into the bladder. The initial management of patients with ejaculatory dysfunction is medical therapy. In couples who have failed medical therapy, assisted reproductive techniques using sperm harvested from either the urine or the male reproductive tract would be the ultimate option. We report successful management of two couples, both men with advanced age and complete retrograde ejaculation, by intrauterine insemination in one and in vitro fertilization (IVF) using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in the other using sperm harvested from urine. The cases reported herein suggest that male infertility due to retrograde ejaculation may be successfully treated in men significantly older than the usual reproductive age and that traditional methods of hydration and urine alkalinization allow for the successful recovery of fertile sperm for ART. The selection of the method of ART must be individualized to the needs of each couple based upon both male and female factors.