Fill in the blank with a properly constructed medical term for the italicized definition.

David is a 35-year-old man who has been trying to conceive with his partner for over a year without success. After evaluation, the physician determines that David’s condition is due to the inability to produce or ejaculate semen. This condition without sperm is termed:

Question

Fill in the blank with a properly constructed medical term for the italicized definition.

David is a 35-year-old man who has been trying to conceive with his partner for over a year without success. After evaluation, the physician determines that David’s condition is due to the inability to produce or ejaculate semen. This condition without sperm is termed:

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Here’s the analysis of the prompt and the two possible terms presented.
Option 1: aspermatism. This term is not commonly used in modern medical vocabulary. If encountered, it may be interpreted as a less standard or archaic variant referring to lack of sperm, but it is not the preferred, widely accepted medical term for absence of semen or sperm production/ejection.
Option 2: aspermia. This is the standard medical term used to denote the absence of semen in ejaculation. It directly aligns with the definition described in the vignette: the individual cannot produce or ejaculate semen, i.e., there is no semen present during ejaculation. Medical terminology favors the construction as- + per + mia, with the root ‘sperm’ referring to seed/sperm and the prefix ‘a-’ or direct negation indicating absence. Clinically, aspermia is used in contexts discussing inability to ejaculate semen, which matches the described condition.
Why the first option is not ideal: because aspermatism tends to be encountered less frequently in current clinical usage and may be considered an outdated or nonstandard term. It can cause confusion since most modern texts and clinicians would not rely on it as the primary label for this condition.
Why the second option is preferable: it is concise, etymologically clear, and consistently employed in medical literature and practice to describe the absence of semen in ejaculation, whether due to production or ejaculatory failure in context.
In summary, given the description of a man unable to produce or ejaculate semen, aspermia serves as the properly constructed medical term, whereas aspermatism is the less accepted or obsolete alternative. The reasoning hinges on standard terminology and the precise definition of semen absence in male reproductive physiology.

Medical Terminology Quiz #10 - Chapter 8 Male Reproductive System

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