Time to conception after orchidopexy: evidence for subfertility?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether time to conception is increased among men who were formerly bilaterally or unilaterally cryptorchid compared with a group of matched control men.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
Human volunteers in an academic research environment.


METHODS
Men who underwent orchidopexy between 1955 and 1971 at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (n = 547) and a group of matched control men (n = 463) were surveyed by questionnaire.


RESULTS
Of the men who attempted paternity, the mean time to conception for the bilateral cases, unilateral cases, and control men was 33.90, 11.11, and 8.78 months, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significantly longer time to conception among bilateral cases compared with unilateral cases and controls, but not between unilateral cases and control men. Adjustment for confounders and covariates using a Cox Proportional Hazards model showed that former bilaterally cryptorchid men were 68% (95% CI = 55% to 81%) less likely than former unilaterally cryptorchid men or controls to conceive per month of unprotected intercourse.


CONCLUSIONS
Time to conception was increased among former bilaterally cryptorchid men compared with both former unilaterally cryptorchid and control men. However, there were no significant differences in time to conception between the unilateral cryptorchid men and the control men.
Coughlin
M T
MT
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. MTCST9+@PITT.EDU
O'Leary
L A
LA
Songer
N J
NJ
Bellinger
M F
MF
LaPorte
R E
RE
Lee
P A
PA
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors