title: Progressive alcohol-induced sperm alterations leading to spermatogenic arrest, which was reversed after alcohol withdrawal.
abstract: This is a report of a 6-year follow-up of a male patient's semen parameters during heavy chronic alcohol intoxication and after withdrawal. A slowly progressive negative impact of alcohol could be observed: isolated moderate teratozoospermia was firstly noted followed by oligoasthenoteratospermia. Then a severe worsening resulted in cryptozoospermia and ultimately in azoospermia. At this moment, the histological analysis of a testicular biopsy revealed a maturation arrest of the germinal cells at the pachytene stage with no mature sperm cells. Alcohol withdrawal was then obtained, allowing a very fast and drastic improvement of semen characteristics; strictly normal semen parameters were observed after no more than 3 months. Taking into consideration these data, patients should be questioned about their alcohol intake before assisted reproductive technology and should be informed about this adverse effect. Moreover, this case report emphasizes how quickly benefits can be obtained after withdrawal, even in the case of heavy chronic alcohol intake.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Histologie et Biologie de la Reproduction, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP)-Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France. nathalie.sermondade@jvr.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sermondade
authors.forename: Hanène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elloumi
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Berthaut
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Vanina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delarouzière
authors.forename: Célia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ravel
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mandelbaum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology