الفهرس 
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Abstract
Infertility is defined as failure to achieve clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Male infertility affects 30:40% of cases. Varicocele is known to be the commonest surgical cause of male infertility. The mainstay to diagnose infertility is the semen analysis. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein that act as an immunomodulator. It is secreted from the prostate and seminal vesicles and found in seminal plasma. Iron is one of the trace elements that is present in semen.
The present study was done to detect and measure the level of lactoferrin and iron in seminal plasma of infertile patients with varicocele and to compare it with fertile males and infertile males without varicocele. Also, it was performed to investigate the possible relation between each of seminal lactoferrin and seminal iron levels and different semen parameters in the studied groups, and if there is possible relation between seminal lactoferrin and iron levels.
This case-control study was conducted on a total sample of 75 participants who attended the Andrology outpatient clinic in Assiut University Hospital. They were divided into three groups. Thirty-three infertile cases with varicocele (group I) , along with 25 infertile cases without varicocele (group II) and 17 fertile cases (group III) as controls.
Medical history was taken with special attention to history of lactoferrin and/or iron supplementation. General and local examination was done to all participants. Conventional semen analysis and scrotal doppler ultrasound were done to all participants. Then the levels of lactoferrin in seminal plasma were measured by ELISA method and iron levels by Colorimetric CAB method in the total sample.