Both reduced ovarian reserve and severe semen alterations are overrepresented in couples seeking assisted reproductive technology treatment for the first time: a cross-sectional study

Reproductive Health

Research

Juan J. Tarín¹  Eva Pascual²  Miguel A. García-Pérez³  Antonio Cano⁴  Aitana Monllor-Tormos⁵ 

[1] Department of Cellular Biology, Functional Biology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain;Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain;Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain;Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain;Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain;Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain;Service of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Clinic Hospital, Valencia, Spain;Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain;Service of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Clinic Hospital, Valencia, Spain;

关键词: Female infertility;    Infertility diagnosis;    Infertility duration;    Male infertility;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12978-023-01666-0

 received in 2023-03-29, accepted in 2023-08-10,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOnce a mate choice decision has been made, couples that fail to reach a live birth in natural and/or intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles will likely visit fertility clinics seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. During the more or less prolonged period of infertility experienced, those couples with mild/moderate reproductive anomalies would have advantage over couples displaying more severe reproductive alterations in achieving a natural or IUI conception. Thus, we can expect to find a progressive increase in the proportion of couples with more severe reproductive anomalies as duration of infertility rises. In this study, we aim to ascertain whether there is an association between male and female infertility diagnoses and duration of infertility in couples seeking ART treatment for the first time.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of 1383 infertile couples that sought ART treatment for the first time. Forward-stepwise binary logistic regression analyses were applied to calculate exponentiated regression coefficients.ResultsMen suffering from any combination of oligo-, astheno-, and teratozoospermia (ACOAT) exhibited higher odds of having a duration of infertility > 2 years compared with non-ACOAT men [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.340 (1.030–1.744)]. Women from ACOAT couples displaying a duration of infertility > 2 years presented shorter menstrual cycles (P ≤ 0.047) and lower antral follicular count (AFC) values (P ≤ 0.008) and serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels (P ≤ 0.007) than women from non-ACOAT couples exhibiting > 2 years of infertility. Likewise, AFC values (P ≤ 0.013) and serum AMH levels (P ≤ 0.001) were decreased when compared with women from ACOAT couples displaying ≤ 2 years of infertility. A relative low but significant percentage of ACOAT couples displaying > 2 years of infertility stood out for their smoking habits.ConclusionsCouples consisting of ACOAT men and women with a relative low ovarian reserve are overrepresented in couples seeking ART treatment for the first time after experiencing > 2 years of infertility. This outcome leads us to develop a general hypothesis proposing that the origin of couple’s infertility is a consequence of a process of positive assortative mating shaped by sexual selection forces.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023