Self-reported Male Infertility and Metabolic Disturbance: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mahbanoo Farhadi-Azar; Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz; Mehrdad Ghahremani; Maryam Mousavi; Fereidoun Azizi; Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani

doi:10.5812/ijem-134895

Self-reported Male Infertility and Metabolic Disturbance: A Cross-Sectional Study

Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Apr 29;21(2):e134895. doi: 10.5812/ijem-134895. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Authors

Mahbanoo Farhadi-Azar¹, Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz¹, Mehrdad Ghahremani², Maryam Mousavi^{1

3}, Fereidoun Azizi⁴, Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani¹

Affiliations

¹ Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Education Program in Reproduction and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Male infertility is a growing health problem. It is proposed that infertility is associated with some metabolic abnormalities.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of self-reported male infertility and related metabolic disturbances.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). A total of 1526 males participated in the study. Logistic regression was used to examine metabolic factors associated with self-reported male infertility.

Results: The total prevalence of self-reported male infertility was 6.42%. The mean (SD) body mass index (BMI) of participants among fertile and infertile males was 26.80 (3.93) and 26.92 (4.36), respectively. The majority of participants in both groups were in the age group of 40-50 years old. In the fully adjusted model, the odds of infertility were significantly increased by each unit increase in total cholesterol [TC; odds ratio (OR), 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01 - 1.01; P = 0.03] and hip circumference (HC; OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00 - 1.12; P = 0.02), respectively.

Conclusions: The prevalence of self-reported male infertility was 6.42%. Male infertility was positively associated with TC and HC, indicating that knowledge about these risks might assist health care professionals and governments in developing and executing measures to change the status quo.

Keywords: Male Infertility; Metabolic Syndrome; Prevalence; Risk Factors.