Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between infertility and factors such as anxiety, health anxiety, depression, and somatosensory amplification in male patients presenting with infertility.Methods In this study, we evaluated 198 patients (infertile group: 130, control group: 68). Patients that fit the inclusion criteria were informed about the aim and method of the study and filled out sociodemographic data collection form, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), The Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), and Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) questionnaires.Results The mean scores for SSAS, HAI, BAI, and BDI were significantly higher in the infertility group compared to the control group (p<0.001 for all comparisons). Moreover, the mean scores of the patients in the primary infertile group (n=107) were significantly higher than in the secondary infertile group (n=23) (p<0.05 for all comparisons). Logistic regression analysis revealed that infertility had a significant effect on age, HAI and BDI.Conclusion Psychiatric evaluation of infertile patients may contribute to more efficient use of health services, may reduce the negative effects of anxiety and depression on fertility, and in turn, increase the success of infertility treatment. Therefore, we recommend that each patient presenting with infertility undergoes psychiatric evaluation as part of their treatment.

Vitamin A has multiple functions in the human body, being involved in growth, epithelial differentiation, vision, immune function and reproduction. While normal spermatogenesis is influenced by sev...

Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common sexual disorders in men. Excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system is considered as one of the pathological mechanisms of PE. Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a noninvasive and easily applicable method for evaluating autonomic functions. We aimed to investigate the relationship between PE and HRR. This cross‐sectional study included 42 consecutive patients with lifelong PE and 98 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent stress tests according to age‐dependent target heart rates outlined in the Bruce protocol. When the maximal heart rate was reached in the stress test, intensive exercise was terminated and electrocardiographic records were obtained for 3 min in the cool‐down period. The HRR indices were calculated by subtracting the heart rate at first, second and third minutes from the maximal HR. The two groups were similar in terms of age, body mass index, serum glucose and lipid parameters. HRR indices were significantly lower in the PE group compared with the control group (p < .05 for all). Common factors that affect equilibrium of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems may be involved in the PE and abnormal HRR etiopathogenesis. The cause‐and‐effect relationship can be more clearly demonstrated with large‐scale, prospective studies.

Objective: Varicocele is the most commonly surgically curable cause of male infertility. However, the mechanisms related to the effect of reducing fertility potential have not been clearly identified. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of varicocelectomy on semen parameters, reproductive hormones and testosterone / estradiol ratio. Matherial and methods: Fifty seven patients outcomes were evaluated before and 6 months after subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy. Semen parameters, reproductice hormones and testosteron/estradiol ratio results of patients were compared retrospectively. Results: The mean age was 26.8 years. Fifty four (94.7%) patients had grade 3 and 3 (5.3%) patients had grade 2 varicocele. There was a significant increase in semen parameters except semen volume. There was a statistically significant increase in serum testosterone levels, but not on testosterone/ estradiol ratio. Conclusions: According to our results, microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy can be recommended for both improving semen parameters and hormonal recovery.

In this study, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) who do not seek medical help at the hospitals and their health literacy (HL) levels. The study included 68 patients. Patients with a main complaint of ED were included in Group 1, and those with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or who requested an age-related check-up were included in Group 2. Questions 1-5 and 15 of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-15 scale evaluating erectile functions were collected as IIEF-6 for the purpose of this study. Severe ED was defined as having a score of 0-10, while moderate ED was defined as a score of 11-16. Both patients with severe and moderate ED were considered and included in the study. The European Health Literacy Scale (HLS-EU) and the Turkey Health Literacy Scale-32 (THLS-32) were used for the evaluation of HL. The HLS-EU person-specific mean index was found to be 37.22 ±5.29 in Group 1 and 30.46 ±6.32 in Group 2. The THLS-32 person-specific mean index was determined to be 37.68 ±5.41 in Group 1 and 30.94 ±6.13 in Group 2. In Group 1, 58.3% of patients were classified as having sufficient HL and 22.2% were classified as having excellent HL. In Group 2, 21.9% of patients were classified as having sufficient HL and 3.1% were classified as having excellent HL. As societal income, education levels, and HL levels increase, ED will become more important to individuals, motivating them to seek timely medical attention, and thereby leading to earlier diagnoses of potential primary pathologies.