TY - JOUR

T1 - Semen quality and reproductive hormones in sons of subfertile couples

T2 - a cohort study

AU - Arendt, Linn H.

AU - Gaml-Sorensen, Anne

AU - Ernst, Andreas

AU - Brix, Nis

AU - Toft, Gunnar

AU - Tottenborg, Sandra S.

AU - Hougaard, Karin S.

AU - Bonde, Jens Peter E.

AU - Ramlau-Hansen, Cecilia H.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Objective: To study the associations between parental subfecundity, assessed by time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction, and reproductive health of young men.Design: Cohort study.Setting: Denmark.Patient(s): A total of 1,058 men in the Fetal Programming of Semen quality cohort, a subcohort of the Danish National Birth Cohort. Intervention(s): From 2017-2019, men were recruited and provided semen and blood samples. Information on parental time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction (including type of treatment) as well as demographic, health, and lifestyle factors were available. We estimated the crude and adjusted relative percentage differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the outcomes according to time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction, using multiple adjusted negative binomial regression analysis.Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen characteristics (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm motility, and morphology), testicular volume, and reproductive hormone levels (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, and free androgen index). Result(s): Overall, semen quality and levels of reproductive hormones were not lower among sons of subfecund parents reporting a time to pregnancy >6 months or use of intrauterine insemination. Sons conceived after in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, had a higher semen concentration (29%; 95% CI, -7%-79%) and a higher percentage of sperm with normal morphology (20%; 95% CI, -8%-56%), but with 95% CI overlapping the null. Moreover, these sons had slightly higher estradiol levels (30%; 95% CI, 7%-57%). The absolute differences seen were small, and the clinical significance of these differences are unknown.Conclusion(s): We found no major difference in semen quality or reproductive hormones in sons conceived by subfertile couples or with the use of medically-assisted reproduction. (Fertil Sterile 2022;118:671-78. (c) 2022 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) El resumen esta disponible en Espanol al final del articulo.

AB - Objective: To study the associations between parental subfecundity, assessed by time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction, and reproductive health of young men.Design: Cohort study.Setting: Denmark.Patient(s): A total of 1,058 men in the Fetal Programming of Semen quality cohort, a subcohort of the Danish National Birth Cohort. Intervention(s): From 2017-2019, men were recruited and provided semen and blood samples. Information on parental time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction (including type of treatment) as well as demographic, health, and lifestyle factors were available. We estimated the crude and adjusted relative percentage differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the outcomes according to time to pregnancy and use of medically-assisted reproduction, using multiple adjusted negative binomial regression analysis.Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen characteristics (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm motility, and morphology), testicular volume, and reproductive hormone levels (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, and free androgen index). Result(s): Overall, semen quality and levels of reproductive hormones were not lower among sons of subfecund parents reporting a time to pregnancy >6 months or use of intrauterine insemination. Sons conceived after in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, had a higher semen concentration (29%; 95% CI, -7%-79%) and a higher percentage of sperm with normal morphology (20%; 95% CI, -8%-56%), but with 95% CI overlapping the null. Moreover, these sons had slightly higher estradiol levels (30%; 95% CI, 7%-57%). The absolute differences seen were small, and the clinical significance of these differences are unknown.Conclusion(s): We found no major difference in semen quality or reproductive hormones in sons conceived by subfertile couples or with the use of medically-assisted reproduction. (Fertil Sterile 2022;118:671-78. (c) 2022 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) El resumen esta disponible en Espanol al final del articulo.

KW - Cohort study

KW - fecundity

KW - fertility

KW - infertility

KW - reproduction

KW - reproductive hormones

KW - risk factors

KW - semen quality

KW - subfecundity

KW - ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

KW - INHIBIN B

KW - EPIDEMIOLOGY

KW - INFERTILITY

KW - TECHNOLOGY

KW - HEALTH

KW - MEN

U2 - 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.06.035

DO - 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.06.035

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35985861

VL - 118

SP - 671

EP - 678

JO - Sexuality, Reproduction and Menopause

JF - Sexuality, Reproduction and Menopause

SN - 1546-2501

IS - 4

ER -