Overweight May Have Some Positive Reproductive Benefits as Compared to Obese Represented by Higher Sperm Progressive Motility in Infertile Men

Objective: The purpose of this study is to unfold the relationship between overweight, sperm parameters and hormonal levels in infertile men in the reproductive age.

Methods: From 2010 to 2013, 76 patients from Androscience, Science and Innovation Center and High-Complexity Andrology Laboratory aged 18 to 55 years were retrospectively analyzed. Semen analysis results were correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients primarily evaluated for male infertility. According to nutritional status, patients were classified into three major groups, (I) normal range group (18.5 to 24.99 kg/m²), (II) overweight group (25.0 to 29.99 kg/m²) and (III) obesity group (over 30 kg/m²). The relationship between semen quality and hormonal levels was evaluated in each group. Mean results were compared and adopted p>0.05 as statistically significant.

Results: Overall, 56% of patients (n=42; mean 36.76 years-old) were classified as overweight, 26% normal BMI (n=20; mean 38.2 y.o.) and 18% (n=14; mean 39.71 y.o.) of the patients were obese. Regarding seminal analysis, no significant difference in sperm concentration, total motility and normal sperm morphology were identified (p>0.05). However, total progressive motility was 14.54% higher in the overweight group in comparison with the obesity group (p=0.063).

Conclusion: The results indicated a relationship between overweight infertile men and an increase in progressive motility, further reinforcing the need for a global assessment of men’s health, especially in certain subgroups of men such those who desire to father their own offspring currently or in the future.