Evaluation of the Psychological Status, Infertility-Associated Factors, and Erectile Function in Patients with Timely Ovulatory Intercourse Failure in China: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Relationship between marital satisfaction and defeat in IVF-ET: based on actor-partner interdependence model approach

OBJECTIVE

A person's marital satisfaction is a strong predictor of their own mental health outcomes. However, marital satisfaction results from both spouses' experiences, so a partner's marital satisfaction also affects his or her mental health outcomes. This study adopted the actor-partner interdependence model approach (APIM) to evaluate the relationship between marital satisfaction and sense of defeat in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) couples.

METHODS AND MEASURES

In this cross-sectional study, 181 infertile couples undergoing IVF-ET treatment were recruited using the Marital Satisfaction Scale of the ENRICH Marital Quality Questionnaire and Defeat Scale. Through APIM and Pearson analysis, the path relationship between marital satisfaction and defeat was analyzed.

RESULTS

The varying degrees of defeat in IVF-ET couples, are closely related to actors' and partners' marital satisfaction. In terms of actor effects, the Marital Satisfaction of both husbands (β = -0.71, p < 0.001) and wives (β = -0.46, p = 0.001) have a significant effect on individual Defeat. With regard to partner effects, husbands' Marital Satisfaction (β = -0.23, p = 0.038) has a significant impact on wives' Defeat and the wives' Marital Satisfaction (β = -0.45, p = -0.005) has a significant impact on husbands' Defeat.

CONCLUSION

IVF-ET couples must be looked at as a whole, and it is critical to include couples and not just men or women when studying infertility. The importance of their interaction is essential to improve the psychosocial adaptation of infertile couples in IVF-ET treatment.

The Association Between Atypical Masturbation and Male Sexual Dysfunction: A Study Based on Men in Heterosexual Relationships

We aimed to establish the prevalence of atypical masturbation in the general population and explore the association between atypical masturbation and male sexual dysfunction in heterosexual males. Atypical masturbation refers to stimulation significantly distinct from that encountered during partnered sexual activity. We posted questionnaires that contained the abridged International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-6) and the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool on social media in China. We collected 2743 valid questionnaires from December 9, 2020, to April 18, 2021. We found that the prevalence of atypical masturbation in the general population was 10.97%. Men with atypical masturbation had lower IIEF-6 scores and higher rates of erectile dysfunction (ED) than men with typical masturbation. The prevalence of premature ejaculation and estimated intravaginal ejaculatory latency time were not significantly different among men with different patterns of masturbation. Our study demonstrated that atypical masturbation is associated with ED, and a clinician dealing with sexual issues should inquire more fully about masturbation patterns than has been done to date.

Prevalence of sexual dysfunction among the male populations who seeking medical care for infertility, pregnancy loss and preconception care: a cross-sectional study

The link between sexual dysfunction and male infertility has been well established. In addition to male infertility, male patients with couple pregnancy loss and preconception care are the most frequent reasons for the treatment of andrology outpatients. However, there is a paucity of information simultaneously investigating male sexual dysfunction in these males with different reproduction situations. A cross-sectional study was performed in consecutive series of 1256 participants, including 509 men with infertility, 437 couples with pregnancy loss, and 310 men for preconception care. All men completed a questionnaire on baseline demographic information, sexual behavior characteristics and validated research tools, including Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool, seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and International Index of Erectile Function. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation was 30.6%, 20.8% in the infertility population and 27.0%, 18.5% in pregnancy loss individuals, was much lower in preconception care men, at 9.3%, 11.9% (p < 0.05), respectively. Infertility and pregnancy loss couples were more biased toward choosing timed intercourse than preconception care couples, with rates of 19.6% in Infertility group and 17.4% in pregnancy loss groups, versus 10.0% (p < 0.05) in preconception care couples. The infertile and pregnancy loss men also reported higher rate of anxiety state than the preconception care group. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction increased gradually with the duration of infertility and the frequency of pregnancy loss, with a highest odds ratio of 7.346 (95% CI:4.329-12.467; P < 0.001) among men with ≥5 years of infertility, 6.282 (95% CI:3.446-11.453; P < 0.001) among couples ≥3 pregnancy loss when compared with preconception care group. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and timed intercourse were comparable in pregnancy loss and infertile males, were all noticeably higher than preconception care group. There was also a trend toward a higher incidence of erectile dysfunction with longer duration of infertility or the more frequent of pregnancy loss.

Treatment of Poor Sperm Quality and Erectile Dysfunction With Oral Pentoxifylline: A Systematic Review

Background: Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a member of methylxanthine chemicals and a type of non-selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, which has been used in male infertility treatment to improve sperm quality and erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Mutually tight associations existed between ED and male infertility. Using PTX might kill two birds with one stone by improving sperm quality and erectile function in infertile men with ED. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched by October 2021. Based on available evidence from observational studies and randomized-controlled trials (RCTs), we conducted a systematic review to summarize the efficacy and safety of PTX in treating ED and male infertility. The protocol of the article was registered and updated in PROSPERO (CRD42021291396). Results: From 202 records, eight studies (7 RCTs) evaluating the role of PTX in ED and three studies (2 RCTs) assessing the efficacy of PTX in male infertility were included in the systematic review. Three studies (100.00%) and two studies (100.00%) reported the beneficial role of PTX in improving sperm progressive motility and normal sperm morphology rate, respectively. In contrast, only one study (33.33%) indicated the favorable role of PTX in enhancing sperm concentration. As for ED, three (60.00%) studies supported the treatment role of PTX alone in ED, and two studies (66.67%) favored the combination use of PTX and selective PDE5Is compared with selective PDE5Is alone. Safety analysis showed that PTX was a well-tolerated drug in ED and male infertility treatment. Conclusion: Given the association between ED and male infertility and satisfying findings from available evidence, PTX administration for the simultaneous treatment of poor sperm quality and mild ED in infertile men will highly enhance the treatment compliance. However, the finding should be treated carefully until validated by further studies.