title: Treatment discontinuation in couples consulting for male infertility after failing to conceive.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate rates and reasons for treatment discontinuation in couples with male factor infertility and who failed to conceive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sterility Center, University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 407 couples consulting for male factor infertility and who discontinued treatment without conceiving.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Treatment, reasons for dropout, and reproductive outcomes after discontinuation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 407 patients, 218 (54%) had had fertility treatment (medical or surgical), and 189 (46%) underwent assisted reproductive techniques (ART) (intrauterine insemination [IUI], in vitro fertilization [IVF], or intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI]). The main reasons for dropout were painfulness of treatment (15% for patients with non-ART treatment vs. 32% for patients who had undergone ART), its ineffectiveness (12% vs. 26%), and separation of the couple (18% vs. 7%). Of the 407 patients, 27% consulted in another fertility center, 8% succeeded in having a child by ART with male partner sperm, 1% by ART with donor sperm, and 11% through adoption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  About half of the couples consulting for male factor infertility discontinued fertility treatment, and of those who discontinued only a fifth finally succeeded in having a child. Although support is available to couples during fertility care, ART is a physical and psychological burden.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Groupe de Recherche en Fertilité Humaine (EA 3694, Human Fertility Research Group), TSA 70034, Toulouse, France. walschaerts.m@chu-toulouse.fr
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walschaerts
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bujan
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parinaud
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mieusset
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thonneau
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012944:Social Support; D017211:Treatment Failure