Glossary of Male Fertility and Sexual Dysfunction
Find Definitions for Terms Related to Male Fertility and Sexual Dysfunction
With all of the medical terminology used to refer to various biological and medical aspects of male fertility and sexual dysfunction treatments, there may be some terms you have not heard before. In our male fertility and sexual dysfunction glossary, we include definitions of the most common terms used to describe treatments, conditions and anatomy.
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Chemical Pregnancy
A positive pregnancy test as determined by the presence of HCG in blood or urine. HCG is the hormone produced by the embryo, but its presence does not guarantee that the pregnancy will continue to a stage of viability.
Clinical Pregnancy
A pregnancy that has reached the point at which the fetus has a detectable heartbeat as determined by ultrasound.
Conception
The fertilization of a woman's egg by a man's sperm resulting in the formation of an embryo.
Ejaculatory Duct
Paired ducts in males that are located behind the bladder and within the prostate. The end of the vas deferens continues into the ejaculatory duct which transports sperm into the urethra.
Embryo
A term used to describe the early stages of fetal growth from conception through the eighth week of pregnancy.
Endocrinology
The study of the glands of the body: thymus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, testicles and ovaries.

Epididymis
An organ in the male reproductive tract that lies above and behind the testicles. It is a long convoluted canal (4-6 meters) where sperm are nourished, matured, and stored for several months.
Fertilization
The penetration of an egg by a sperm and the subsequent fusion of genetic material that results in the development of an individual.
GIFT
Gamete IntraFallopian Transfer is a procedure in which eggs are removed from the ovary, mixed with washed sperm and then transferred by laparoscopy into the fallopian tube where fertilization may take place.
Gonadotropin
A hormone that stimulates the testicles to produce sperm and the ovaries to produce eggs.
Hormone
A chemical produced by an endocrine gland that circulates through the blood and has a widespread affect throughout the body.
HCG
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone secreted by the placenta that signals the corpus luteum to continue producing progesterone for the maintenance of the pregnancy. This hormone accounts for pregnancy tests being positive. It is also used therapeutically as a trigger shot to induce the maturation of the follicle for ovulation or aspiration.
ICSI
Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection is a procedure in which one sperm is placed in one egg using micromanipulation. This procedure is used in cases of severe male factor infertility.
Infertility
The inability of a couple to achieve pregnancy after one year of regular unprotected intercourse, or, the inability of a woman to carry a pregnancy to a live birth.
IUI
IntraUterine Insemination is the placing of washed sperm into the uterus for the purpose of conception.
Non-obstructive azoospermia
Azoospermia that is due to absence or marked reduction of sperm production by the testes.
Prostate
A small gland about the size of a walnut, located below the bladder. It produces some of the sperm-carrying fluid for the semen.
Semen Analysis
A test performed on freshly ejaculated sperm to determine the count, shape, size, and ability of the sperm to move.
Seminiferous tubules
Specialized microscopic ducts located within the testes. Immature sperm begin to mature in these tubules.
Testes (testicles)
The organs that produce sperm. They are paired oval-shaped glands located in the scrotum.
TFNA (Testicular Fine Needle Aspiration)
Minimally invasive technique to recover sperm where the testis are punctured for sperm aspiration.

Testosterone
The male sex hormone that is produced in the testicles. Women also have some testosterone that is produced by the ovaries.
Urethra
The tube that carries the urine from the bladder and the semen from the prostate and ejaculatory ducts out through the tip of the penis. It is the final passageway for both urine and sperm to leave the body.