INTRODUCTION
Semen examination is the cornerstone of the evalu -
ation of male fertility potential. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is a complex series of assessments with highly variable results that are subject to interpreta -
tion. The semen analysis is used to gauge reproductive potential and guide the clinician in management of the infertile couple. Over the past 40 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) Infertility Task Force has attempted to standardize the methodology of semen examination so as to bring uniformity and relevance to the test. The 1st edition of the “Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen” was published in 1980. Since then, four more editions of the WHO manual have been published, each at -tempting to reflect global male population demograph -
ics, to address limitations from previous versions, and to incorporate technological and scientific evolution in the field of reproduction. Currently, the 5th edition of the WHO manual, published in 2010, is implemented worldwide, and is considered one of the most used, yet contested documents in the field of male infertility [1].
In March 2021, the WHO released a preliminary draft of the 6th edition of its manual for public review and suggestions (https://www.who.int/publications/
i/item/9789241547789). Essentially, the new manual comprises three parts: semen examination; sperm preparation and cryopreservation; and quality control and assurance. The procedures for semen examination include basic (routine) examinations, extended exami -
nations (which may be used by laboratories or clini -
Received: May 3, 2021 Accepted: May 11, 2021 Published online Jun 11, 2021
Correspondence to: Ashok Agarwal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0585-1026 Andrology Center and American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Mail Code X-11, 10681 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Tel: +1-216-444-9485, Fax: +1-216+445-6049, E-mail: agarwaa@ccf.org, Website: www.Clevelandclinic.org/ReproductiveResearchCenter
Copyright © 20 21 Korean Society for Sexual Medicine and AndrologyEditorial Commentary on Draft of World Health Organization Sixth Edition Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen Hussein Kandil1, Ashok Agarwal2, Ramadan Saleh3, Florence Boitrelle4,5, Mohamed Arafa2,6,7, Paraskevi Vogiatzi8, Ralf Henkel2,9,10,11, Armand Zini12, Rupin Shah13
1Fakih IVF Fertility Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2American Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA, 3Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt, 4Reproductive Biology, Fertility Preservation, Andrology, CECOS, Poissy Hospit al, Poissy, 5Paris Saclay University, UVSQ, INRAE, BREED, Jouy-en-Josa s, France, 6Department of Andrology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, 7Department of Urology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, 8Andromed Health & Reproduction, Fertility Diagnostics Laboratory, Maroussi, Athens, Greece, 9Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London, UK, 10Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa, 11LogixX Pharma, Theale, Berkshire, UK, 12Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, 13Department of Urology, Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/l icenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Editorial
pISSN: 2287-4208 / eISSN: 2287-4690
World J Mens Health 2021 Oct 39(4): 577-580
https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.210074Male reproductive health and infertility
