Introduction About 15% of the couples seek medical treatment for infertility, the male factor being involved in about 50% of cases. Semen analyses are used as prognostic and treatment factor in assessing the potential for male fertility.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the regional tendencies of the semen quality in male partners of couples facing infertility, to identify the status of the contributions of male factor to infertility in the Republic of Moldova.
Materials and methods. We performed a retrospective study on 5767 patients who performed semen’s analysis between 2012-2020. All semen samples have been collected after a recommended period of sexual abstinence of 3 to 5 days. Semen analysis was performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, 5th edition, 2010. Linear regression was used to examine trends over time in all semen parameters.
Results. Declining trends were significant in all semen parameters: semen volume (1.1% per year); sperm concentration (3.2% per year); total sperm number (3.8% per year); progressive motility (1.9% per year); concentration of motile sperm (3.6% per year); total number of motile sperm (4.7% per year); concentration of functional sperm (3.9% per year); total number of functional sperm (5.2% per year); normal forms (1.8% per year) and vitality (3.8% per year).
Conclusions. Our results indicate that the quality and quantity of semen is steadily declining in the population of men consulted for couple infertility in the Republic of Moldova from 2012 to 2020. This is an indication necessitating to focus on the management and preventive program for male infertility.
Keywords: semen decline, male infertility, diagnosis, semen parameters.
Full text sources https://doi.org/10.31688/ABMU.2022.57.2.04
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Address for correspondence:
Stela RACOVITA
State University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Nicolae Testemitanu”, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
E-mail: stela.racovita@usmf.md; Phone +37 369 580 223
