Basic Work up for Infertility  : PUA Midyear Convention 2021 

The Philippine Urological Association with its dedication to learning and excellence has recently held its second virtual Convention as the Philippine Urological Association Midyear Convention 2021 with the theme of “Still Standing in 2021: Mastering Male Sexual and Reproductive Health”.

As part of the two day convention , the second day tackled mainly on men’s health and male infertility was discussed.

The program was started out by a lecture done by Frances Monette P. Bragais, MD who discussedthe topic on the Basic Work-up for Male infertility. The lecture was informative with special emphasis on the nature of infertility; the discussion was brief but was studded with clinical pearls which would guide the urologist in the work up of this disease.

The discussion was in a sense lecturesque in nature, it gave a feeling of being a student once more;The lecture of Dr Bragais gave the necessary overview of the disease and on how to arrive at the correct diagnosis from the initial encounter with the patient up until the planning for treatment initiation.

The lecture concisely covered on the manner upon which to obtain the proper history and it gave key points upon what to perform in the physical examination as well as the laboratory work up for these special set of patients.

A key point in the lecture was the discussion on the interpretation of the semen analysis and its implications as to the diagnosis as well as to the treatment; another highlight was on the implications of endocrinopathies to fertility. These discussions were elegantly discussed in the background of clinical experience and practice ergo practical.

The lecture of Dr Bragais was the necessary primer for the lectures that were to follow. It gave an in depth account of the disease, its work up and the pearls for a proper diagnosis of infertility.

It has been said in medical school that 75% of a diagnosis will be arrived at by a properly done history and physical examination; this adage has been and always will be true in the practice of medicine, practice of urology and the science of male infertility.