Association of BMI with Semen Parameters in the Male Partners of Infertile Couples: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: In today’s scenario, obesity is increasing in children and young adolescents, and they are more likely to continue as obese adults. Temporal trends indicate that obesity is increasing while fertility is decreasing. Studies worldwide have reported a negative association between obesity and male fertility, but studies from India are scarce. Hence, there is a need to study the extent of the association between obesity and infertility. Aim: To evaluate the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and semen parameters in the male partners of infertile couples. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Government Medical College Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, from August 2021 to August 2022. On total of 66 participants divided into two groups: Group A consisted of overweight and obese participants (BMI ≥23.0 kg/m2 ), and Group B consisted of participants with normal BMI (BMI <23 kg/m2 ). The semen parameters studied were semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, total motility, and progressive motility. Semen samples were analysed according to the WHO 2010 guidelines. Continuous variables were expressed as mean±standard deviation. Unpaired t-test was used to compare the groups. Results: The mean age in Group A and Group B was 30.18±4.5 and 28.27±4.35 years, respectively (p<0.08). The mean BMI in Group A and Group B was 27.01±2.94 kg/m2 and 20.29±1.69 kg/m2 , respectively (p<0.0001). The mean sperm concentration in Group A was 37.01±42.6 million, and in Group B, it was 90.24±56.11 million (p<0.0001). Total motility in Group A was 27.8±31.36%, and in Group B, it was 57.9±28.41% (p<0.0001). Progressive motility in Group A was 18.75±24.79%, and in Group B, it was 42.63±26.15% (p<0.0003). Conclusion: In the present study, high BMI (obesity and overweight) was significantly associated with low sperm concentration, count, and motility