Approximately 1 in 20 young men today have sperm counts low enough to impair fertility, whereas this may not have been the case historically. The cause(s) of such a decline in male reproductive health is unknown, despite it being a global health issue. Concomitantly, little progress has been made in answering fundamental questions in andrology or in developing new diagnostic tools or alternative management strategies to ICSI in infertile men. We advocate formulation of a detailed roadmap for male reproductive health to facilitate development of a research agenda that highlights the present unmet needs and key unanswered questions, and seeks to deliver effective funding and investment to address them. This vision we term 'a Male Reproductive Health Ecosystem'.
Human reproduction (Oxford, England). 2018 Feb 07 [Epub ahead of print]
Christopher L R Barratt, Christopher J De Jonge, Richard M Sharpe
Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Medical School, Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA., MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.