Autoimmune diseases and their relation with male fertility

Abstract

Introduction: Autoimmune disease occur when the immune system fails in its own recognition, and sometimes these alterations negatively impact in male fertility.
Objective: Analyze how some autoimmune diseases and their treatments affect male fertility.
Methods: It was conducted a systematic review of literature in PubMed and SciELO databases, looking for articles published since 2000 on autoimmune diseases and seminal parameters. 27 articles on diabetes mellitus, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple
sclerosis and reumathoide arthritis were included.
Conclusions: The autoimmune diseases that alter the endocrine profile increase the oxidative stress, produce sexual dysfunction, affect the seminal parameters and increase the production of anti-sperm antibodies. These diseases and their treatment negatively impact in sexuality and fertility of the patients from the physiological and psychological point of view, so reproduction will be in a second level in these cases. It is needed to study these diseases with a multidisciplinary approach to guarantee a better life quality to patients, and that can be find treatment alternatives which won’t affect the fertility of couples that want to have descendants.