Ejaculate parameters in patients with abdominal obesity

• Main Authors: E. A. Epanchintseva, V. G. Selyatitskaya, Yu. I. Sheina
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: ABV-press 2015-04-01
• Series: Andrologiâ i Genitalʹnaâ Hirurgiâ
• Subjects: male infertility; obesity; fat distribution types; testosterone; sex hormones binding globulin; semen analysis; sperm dna fragmentation
• Online Access: https://agx.abvpress.ru/jour/article/view/137

Objective: the definition of association of levels of sex steroid hormones and ejaculate parameters with different types of fat distribution in infertile men with overweight and obesity. Materials and methods. A total of 119 somatically healthy Russian men who contacted Novosibirsk Center of Reproductive Medicine in 2012–2014 with the problem of infertility have been examined. Based on the results of anthropometric surveys all the men were divided into 3 groups. The 1st group included men with overweight, obesity, and upper type of fat distribution (the ratio of waist circumference (WC) to the hip circumference (HC) ≥ 0.95); the 2nd group – men with overweight, obesity and lower type of fat distribution (WC/HC < 0.95); the 3rd group – men with normal body weight. Questionnaires have been completed; determination in serum of concentrations of total testosterone, estradiol, sex hormones binding globulin (SHBG); free testosterone calculated. Special study of ejaculate included semen analysis, sperm morphology assessment by strict criteria of Kruger MAP test, NCA-test, analysis of DNA fragmentation of sperm. Results. In all 3 groups frequency of medical and social risk factors occurrence for infertility were analyzed: sexually transmitted infections, 88 chronic prostatitis, the systematic consumption of alcohol and smoking. It was revealed that these factors occurred with a high, but not significantly different frequency in men of 3 groups: the frequency of sexually transmitted infections in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd groups was 65.8; 61.0 and 63.2 %; systematic consumption of alcohol – 85.4; 78.1 and 63.2 %; systematic smoking – 36.6; 53.7 and 34.21 %; chronic prostatitis – 68.3; 56.1 and 50.0 % respectively. The average concentrations of sex steroid hormones and SHBG in the serum of men of all groups did not go beyond the reference range. Patients of the 1st and 2nd groups had significantly lower concentration of total testosterone in serum compared with the third group, moreover the indicated decline was more pronounced in men of the 1st group. The content of SHBG in serum was also significantly lower in the 1st and 2nd groups in relation to the 3rd group. Comparison of ejaculate indicators revealed significant differences in the 1st and 2nd groups of men, differing in the type of fat distribution, in terms of volume of ejaculate, share of progressively motile sperm and DNA fragmentation level. Differences are identified for some indicators of ejaculate between the 1st and 3rd groups, but the differences between the 2nd and 3rd groups on any indicator are not detected. Conclusion. The revealed differences indicate a negative effect on the ejaculate indicators, particularly of upper type of fat distribution, peculiar to the men of the 1st group. The obtained results justify the assumption that abdominal obesity with upper type fat distribution is an independent risk factor of male fertility reduction.