Does Obesity Negatively Impact Semen Quality? A Cross-Sectional Study in Population of Rahim Yar Khan

Obesity and Semen Quality

Abstract

Background: Among males of reproductive age, the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly, and it has been found to have adverse effects on the quality of sperm parameters affecting male fertility. Objective: To determine the correlation of high Body mass index(kg/m²) with semen parameters among infertile males. Study Design: Observational cross-sectional. Settings: Urology department, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan Pakistan. Duration: February 2022 to January 2024. Methods: Males aged between 20 to 45 years visiting outdoor clinics for workup of infertility with BMI ≥25kg/m² were included. Males with BMI <25kg/m², seropositive for HIV, with a history of chronic medical conditions, and on medications affecting semen quality were all excluded. Semen reference limits have been used provided by WHO. SPSS version 25 was used for data entry and analysis. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of study subjects was 31.25±8.234years. A statistically significant negative correlation with P-value: 0.004 and r=-0.801 of sperm concentration (millions/ml) was found concerning BMI kg/m². Low sperm concentration <15millions/ml found in 31(21.08%) study subjects having BMI ≤30 kg/m² and in 61(41.49%) study subjects with BMI >30kg/m². While 42(28.57%) were having sperm concentration >15millions/ml in subgroup BMI ≤30kg/m2 and 13(8.84%) subjects with high BMI >30kg/m2 were having sperm concentration >15millions/ml. Conclusion: On the basis of our study, it is concluded that high BMI negatively correlates with sperm concentration. No correlation was found between high BMI and other semen parameters such as total sperm number, motility, morphology, and vitality.