5th Male Infertility Educational Activity

APHRODITE criteria for male infertility diagnosis, prognosis and management

Live Session: Friday, 27 March 2026
From 13.00 to 15.00 CET (Central European Time)

On demand Session Pre-event Materials
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Scientific Programme
Pre-event Materials

5th APHRODITE criteria for male infertility diagnosis, prognosis and management

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Live Session - Friday, 27 March 2026
From 13.00 to 15.00 CET (Central European Time)

Overview

Male infertility is an increasing concern in reproductive medicine, yet a significant gap remains between patient needs and the number of specialists equipped to address them. Although the field of andrology—which focuses on male reproductive health—has made substantial advances in recent decades, the complexity of male reproductive physiology and the growing demand for evidence-based care continue to challenge clinicians worldwide. The APHRODITE criteria provide a pioneering classification system that allows clinicians to diagnose, predict, and manage male infertility with greater precision. To address the global need for education on this innovative framework, the 2026 APHRODITE Virtual Preceptorship is being launched—a high-impact, multicenter educational program designed to bridge the knowledge gap in reproductive andrology.

Format

The virtual preceptorship features pre-recorded lectures released prior to each live session, allowing participants to: Watch the lectures at their own pace, Review recommended literature, Complete multiple-choice questions (MCQs) associated with each lecture

During the live sessions, participants engage in practical, in-depth learning through summary lectures, relevant case studies, and discussion questions. A chatroom is also available to discuss and debate topics related to the optimal clinical management of each case.

Learning Objectives

After participating in the virtual workshop, attendees will be able to:

  • ● Understand the physiological role of gonadotropins in spermatogenesis
  • ● Stratify infertile men according to the APHRODITE criteria
  • ● Identify and implement targeted management strategies, particularly using gonadotropin therapy, for the most prevalent categories of male infertility

Target Audience

Clinicians involved in MAR globally including reproductive urologists, andrologists, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists, ART scientists.

European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education Accreditation

The 5th Male Infertility Educational Activity APHRODITE criteria for Male Infertility diagnosis, prognosis and management, Virtual, Italy, 27/03/2026 – 27/03/2026, has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 1.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®s).

Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

Through an agreement between the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert EACCME® credits to an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Information on the process to convert EACCME® credit to AMA credit can be found at https://edhub.ama-assn.org/pages/applications .

“Live educational activities, occurring outside of Canada, recognised by the UEMS-EACCME® for ECMEC®s are deemed to be Accredited Group Learning Activities (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Information regarding the conversion of EACCME® credits
Credit will be converted based on one (1) hour of participation equalling one credit for all activities. Physicians wishing to convert EACCME® credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ will be required to access the AMA website at https://edhub.amaassn.org/pages/applications to obtain the necessary paperwork and instructions. Physicians and other health care professionals will be required to pay a processing fee to the AMA. For other countries, please contact the relevant national/regional accreditation authority.

uems-eaccme-logo

The preceptorship will be in partnership with three centers:

Androfert – Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic (Campinas, Brazil)  Prof. Sandro C. Esteves

Unit of Endocrinology, Modena (Modena, Italy) Prof. Manuela Simoni

Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (Halle, Germany) Prof. Hermann Behre

Addressing male Patients with Hypogonadism and/or infeRtility Owing to altereD Idiopathic TEsticular function (APHRODITE)

Patient Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number (POSEIDON)

Med.E.A. is in partnership with

Association of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery (ARMS)

IMR Press

International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS)

Spanish Fertility Society (SEF)

Italian Society of Fertility and Sterility Reproductive Medicine (SIFES)

Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SIGO Federation)

Société Maroccaine de Médicine de Reproduction (SMMR)

Portuguese Society of Reproductive Medicine (SPMR)

Tunisian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (STGO)

Turkish Society of Reproductive Medicine (TSRM)

Agenda

Faculty

Hermann Behre

Hermann Behre

Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology
University Hospital Martin Luther University Halle, Germany
Halle, Germany
Biography
Sandro C. Esteves

Sandro C. Esteves

Androfert – Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic
Campinas, Brazil
Biography
Manuela Simoni

Manuela Simoni

Unit of Endocrinology
Department of Medical Specialities, Azienda Ospedaliera
University of Modena
Modena, Italy
Biography
Marina Viana

Marina Viana

Androfert – Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic
Campinas, Brazil
Biography

International Committee

Gürkan Bozdağ

Gürkan Bozdağ

Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (TSRM)
REI Clinic
Koc University
Biography
Luís Ferreira Vicente

Luís Ferreira Vicente

Portuguese Society of Reproductive Medicine
Portugal
Biography
Habib Midassi

Habib Midassi

Polyclinique Ibn Annafis
Sfax, Tunisia
Biography
Emre Pabuçcu

Emre Pabuçcu

Ufuk University School of Medicine
Ankara, Turkey
Biography
Elsa Viora

Elsa Viora

University of Turin
Turin, Italy
Biography

Pre-event materials

Video Lectures

L1 The physiological basis of the APHRODITE Framework –Endocrine mechanisms of impaired spermatogenesis and rationale for patient stratification  
Manuela Simoni
 
L2 Gonadotropin therapy in clinical practice – Evidence-based applications in the management of male infertility
Hermann Behre, Germany
 
L3 Classifying male infertility: An in-depth look at the APHRODITE groups – How the criteria work and their practical utility for clinicians and researchers
Sandro C. Esteves, Brazil
 

Scientific Programme

Download

Agenda

FUNDING

· Martin O. Savage ·

Martin Savage is Emeritus Professor of Paediatric Endocrinology at William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London. He was head of the Paediatric Endocrine Unit at Barts and the London School of Medicine from 1982 to 2007. He has interests in growth disorders, specifically those with abnormalities in the GH-IGF-1 axis and in phenotype-genotype relationships of GH-IGF-1 axis defects, notably GH resistance. He published the first human case of an IGF-1 gene defect in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996.  His other interests are Cushing’s syndrome and growth in chronic inflammatory diseases. He was General Secretary of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) from 1997 to 2004. He has lectured in 60 countries and has published 482 original articles, reviews, textbook chapters and books. In 2007, he was awarded the ESPE Andrea Prader Prize for contributions to paediatric endocrinology and in 2018 he received a Visionary Award from the American Human Growth Foundation. In 2022, he received a Research Excellence Award from the Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal in Riyadh, and the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes James M. Tanner Lifetime Achievement Award. He continues to lecture nationally and internationally.

· Hermann M. Behre ·

Prof. Dr. med. Hermann M. Behre is Director and Chief Physician of the Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology at the University Hospital Halle (Saale), and Full Professor at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. He also serves as the Head of the Fertility Center at the University Hospital in Münster,Germany. Professor Behre is a board-certified specialist in urology and andrology as well as in obstetrics and gynaecology, gynaecological endocrinology and reproductive medicine. He is currently President of the European Academy of Andrology and formerly held positions as President of the German Society of Andrology, President of the German Society of Reproductive Medicine and Presidentof the German Federation of Reproductive Biology and Medicine. Professor Behre has authored numerous scientific publications and contributed as co-editor and author to several authoritative national and international medical textbooks. His main research interests include the action and deficiency of testosterone, as well as maleand female infertility.

· Sandro C. Esteves ·

Sandro C. Esteves, MD., PhD. is a reproductive urologist who specializes in treating male infertility, particularly its connection with assisted reproductive technology (ART). He is the founder and medical director of ANDROFERT, a fertility center based in Campinas, Brazil, dedicated to male reproductive health. He is also a Collaborating Professor of Urology at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, and an Honorary Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Aarhus University, Denmark.

Dr. Esteves earned his medical degree in 1990 from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at UNICAMP, where he also completed his urology residency. He pursued a research fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the United States, focusing on male infertility. He later obtained a master’s degree in Surgery from UNICAMP and a PhD in Urology from the Federal University of São Paulo (EPM–UNIFESP). With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Esteves has significantly advanced our understanding of male infertility in both clinical and academic settings. His work has focused on sperm DNA fragmentation, the importance of accurate semen analysis, and the limitations of basic diagnostics. He has underscored the role of varicocele repair and hormonal therapy in improving male fertility, particularly in non-obstructive azoospermia. He is the lead author of the APHRODITE criteria, a novel classification system designed to guide the treatment of men with testicular dysfunction and improve fertility outcomes through personalized hormonal therapy.

Dr. Esteves is a prolific author with over 350 published scientific papers, as well as numerous book chapters, and textbooks. He holds a Hirsch index of 78 and has been cited over 20,ooo times. According to the Science-Wide Author Databases of Standard Citation Indicators (Elsevier/Stanford), he is ranked among the top 1% of global researchers. He is a founding member of the POSEIDON group, which developed new stratification criteria for couples with a low prognosis undergoing ART. In addition to his clinical work and research, Dr. Esteves serves as Associate Editor/Section Editor for several journals, including Human Reproduction, Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Online, Frontiers in Endocrinology, and the International Brazilian Journal of Urology. He is also an editorial board member of many journals, including Nature Reviews Urology and International Urology and Nephrology. At ANDROFERT, Dr. Esteves has led initiatives to implement cleanroom technologies and quality management systems (ISO 9001), achieving national recognition for excellence in male fertility care. His team has consistently delivered outstanding results in treating complex cases of male infertility. A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Esteves has received numerous research grants and awards. He serves as the head of the Andrology Committee at the Brazilian Society of Human Reproduction and is the Topic Leader of the Male Infertility Group for the WHO Infertility Guidelines.

· Manuela Simoni ·

Manuela Simoni trained as a clinical endocrinologist at the Endocrinology Unit of the University of Modena in Italy between 1982 and 1990, following this with training as a molecular endocrinologist at the Institute of Reproductive Medicine of the University of Münster in Germany. She was Professor for Endocrinology and Molecular Biology of Reproduction at the University of Münster from 1998 to 2008, being appointed to her current position as Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 2008.

Professor Simoni’s research interests are in: gonadotropin and androgen action; testicular function; male infertility; and the endocrinology and pathophysiology of reproduction. She is a member of several societies, including the European Academy of Andrology (EAA) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), serving as the ESE secretary until April 2018, and is active on the editorial boards of several journals in the fields of endocrinology and reproduction. She has been Co-Editor-in-Chief of Andrology, the official journal of the EAA and the American Society of Andrology (ASA), since January 2017.

· Marina Viana ·

Dr Marina Viana is a brazilian urologist graduated by the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and Fellow in Male Infertility and Reproductive Medicine at Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) & Androfert São Paulo – Campinas, Brazil.

 

· Gürkan Bozdağ ·

Gurkan Bozdag completed his Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Certification training at Hacettepe University. He gave postgraduate and doctorate courses in Reproductive Medicine and Infertility. He has more than 110 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and some of his studies were awarded in the best poster category by The American Society of Reproductive Medicine. He took part in the editorial boards of various international and national scientific journals, including Human Reproduction, Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology, Frontiers in Endocrinology.

He took part in the regulatory boards of national and international symposiums and congresses in the field of reproductive medicine and in vitro fertilization. He also acted as the National Representative of Turkey in ESHRE (2020 – 2022) and as a co-author in the Guideline Development Group of Add-ons

He is currently the 2nd President of the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (TSRM) and is a member of the board of directors of national professional associations. From Jan-2022, he has been the Director of REI clinic in Koc University. He was also assigned as one of the executive member of ESHRE in June 2023.

· Habib Midassi ·

Assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology,Sfax university.Tunisia.(1987)

Mr Habib has completed his higher accreditation in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1986

He works six years  as a consultant  in the Sfax teatching hospital .in 1988 he has his private office of gynecology and obstetrics.Since 2007 he also works in the IVF  center  of the polyclinic Ibn Annafis ,Sfax.Tunisia.

He has a wide experience in treating infertile couple with the first specialized fertility consultation in Tunisia (1984) .

Besides laparoscopic  Surgery, his professional interests include ovarian reserve ,luteal phase support and medical treatement of uterine fibroids

· Emre Pabuçcu ·

Emre Göksan Pabuçcu was born in Ankara in 1981. After graduating from TED Ankara Private High School, he started his medical education in Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. He completed his residency program in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. He has been working at Ufuk University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2013 where he received his Associated Professorship in 2017. He has worked at Houston Fertility Specialists Clinic and Texas Woman’s Hospital, Texas (2016) as an observer in the field of preimplantation genetic testing and minimal invasive surgery. He has also been working at Centrum Clinic Private IVF Center, Ankara/Turkey since 2012. He is actively interested in Reproductive Endocrinology and Reproductive Endoscopic procedures.  He is a former board member of International Society of Gynecologic Endoscopy (ISGE). Dr. Pabuçcu is currently a reviewer of several local and international journals about Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Endoscopy. He has published more than 70 papers in peer reviewed journals. 

· Elsa Viora ·

Dr. Elsa Viora is an expert in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Graduated in Medicine and Surgery in 1981 and specialized in 1985 at the University of Turin, she obtained a second specialization in Medical Genetics in 1988 at La Sapienza University of Rome.

President of the Italian Association of Hospital Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AOGOI) and member of the Turin Academy of Medicine, he currently practices private practice at the CIDIMU Institute and is Head of the Ultrasound and Prenatal Diagnosis Unit at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of the S. Anna Hospital in Turin.

Dr. Viora focuses primarily on prenatal diagnosis and screening and has extensive experience performing obstetric and gynecological ultrasounds.

Author and/or co-author of numerous scientific publications, she has participated in over 120 courses and conferences as chair, moderator, and speaker.

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