Adverse Effects of Common Sports and Recreational Activities on Male Reproduction.

CONTEXT: Male factor infertility plays a significant role in infertility. Many factors have been associated with male infertility; however, the link between many sports and recreational factors and male reproduction remains poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the current literature regarding the impact of many common sports and recreational factors on male reproduction. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A comprehensive PubMed and Embase search for relevant articles published between 1970 and 2017 was performed by combining the following search terms: male, sports (including individual sports), traumatic brain injury, sauna, hot tub, fertility, erectile dysfunction, varicocele, environment, cell phone, and laptop computer. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction can be associated with sports with high rates of head injuries, such as American football. Although early reports linked other sports, such as bicycling, to erectile dysfunction, subsequent studies isolated these associations to sports cycling rather than recreational cycling. Certain sports (football, basketball, handball, and volleyball) were linked to increasing prevalence and severity of varicocele, offering a potential link to male infertility. In addition, recreational activities such as sauna, hot tubs, Jacuzzis, heated car seats, and laptop use were associated with high testicular temperature, which can impair spermatogenesis. Radio frequency electromagnetic waves from cell phones and laptops have also been shown to have deleterious effects on sperm viability and motility. CONCLUSIONS: Many common sports and daily activities represent potential sources of male infertility. Clinicians should be aware of these associations in explaining idiopathic infertility in males. PATIENT SUMMARY: Male infertility is an often overlooked component of a couple's inability to conceive. We outline many common and often overlooked sports and recreational exposures that have been associated with male infertility.

Varicocelectomía con analgesia acupuntural: servicios de Urología en hospitales provinciales clínico-quirúrugicos / Varicocelectomy with acupunctural analgesic: services of Urology at “Leon Cuervo Rubio” and “Abel Santamaria” Provincial Teaching Hospitals, Pinar del Rio 2002-2005

Se realizó un estudio prospectivo y aleatorio simple en 150 pacientes del sexo masculino, entre los 15 y 30 años de edad, con el diagnóstico de varicocele, intervenidos quirúrgicamente por el servicio de Urología de la provincia de Pinar del Río (Hospital Universitario Abel Santamaría Cuadrado y el Clínico Quirúrgico Docente León Cuervo Rubio) durante el período comprendido de enero de 2002 a diciembre de 2005. El método estadístico aplicado fue el test de Chi Cuadrado. Los resultados obtenidos en esta investigación arrojaron, que entre las complicaciones transoperatorias encontradas están la hipertensión arterial, la bradicardia y las complicaciones postoperatorias (sepsis de la herida quirúrgica y orquiepididimitis aguda). La calidad de la analgesia transoperatoria y post-operatoria fue buena en su mayoría, aunque el tiempo quirúrgico resultó prolongado; los gastos hospitalarios son mínimos, todo esto demostró la eficacia del método y justifica su uso por parte de los anestesiólogos y urólogos al ser aplicada en la varicocelectomía, demostrándose una buena estabilidad hemodinámica, mínimas complicaciones y una buena analgesia preoperatorio, así como reducción considerable de los costos y estadía hospitalaria del paciente. Todo lo anterior justifica este estudio y el uso de forma regular de la acupuntura como método de analgesia quirúrgica...(AU)

A prospective, simple and at random study with 150 male patients between 15 and 30 years old suffering from varicocele who underwent surgeries was carried out in the service of urology in both Provincial Teaching Hospitals (Leon Cuervo Rubio and Abel Santamaria) during January 2002 and December 2005. Chi-squared was the statistical method applied. The results obtained in this research showed that among the complications during trans-operative period were hypertension, bradycardia and in the post-operative were sepsis in the surgical wound and orchiepididymitis. The quality of the trans-operative and post-operative analgesia was good in the majority of the cases; though surgical time was longer; the hospital costs were minimized, showing the efficacy of the method which justified its use by anesthesiologists and urologists in Varicocelectomy. A good hemodynamic stability, minimal complications and a good preoperative analgesia; as well as reduction in costs and hospital stay of the patients were observed. The advantages of acupuncture as a surgical-analgesic method give reasons to use it regularly...(AU)