International Journal of Infertility & Fetal Medicine

Register      Login

VOLUME 8 , ISSUE 1 ( January-April, 2017 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Does Weight Loss improve Fertility with respect to Semen Parameters—Results from a Large Cohort Study

Mir Jaffar, Mohammed Ashraf

Citation Information : Jaffar M, Ashraf M. Does Weight Loss improve Fertility with respect to Semen Parameters—Results from a Large Cohort Study. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2017; 8 (1):12-17.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10016-1141

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-08-2013

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2017; The Author(s).


Abstract

Objective

To determine whether weight loss in obese men improves seminal parameters.

Design

Prospective interventional study.

Setting

Infertility clinic and weight loss centers.

Patient

All men attending infertility center and weight loss programmes from April 2012 to May 2015 (n = 105).

Intervention

Diet counseling and exercise.

Main Outcome Measure

Collected reproductive parameters included semen analysis (ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, progressive and non-progressive motility) data. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all patients with comparisons to reproductive parameters before and after weight loss by using paired-t test and Chi-square tests.

Result

The mean BMI was significantly higher before weight loss (33.2) than after weight loss (30.4) in obese men. The weight loss had significant positive correlation with percentage of progressive sperm motility (p = < 0.001) and static percentage (p = < 0.001). Weight loss had non-significant correlation with semen volume (p = 0.083), concentration (p = 0.418) and non progressive motile sperm (p = 0.361).

Conclusion

In one of the largest cohorts of male fertility and obesity, semen parameters demonstrated mild but significant relationships with BMI and semen parameters, possibly contributing to subfertility in this population.

How to cite this article

Jaffar M, Ashraf M. Does Weight Loss improve Fertility with respect to Semen Parameters—Results from a Large Cohort Study. Int J Infertil Fetal Med 2017;8(1): 12-17.


PDF Share
  1. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. JAMA 2006 Apr;295(13):1549-1555.
  2. Body mass index (BMI) dynamics in Vietnam. Eur J Clin Nutr 2008 Jan;62(1):78-86.
  3. Under- and overnutrition dynamics in Chinese children and adults (1991-2004). Eur J Clin Nutr 2008 Nov;62(11):1302-1307.
  4. Obesity trends in Latin America: transiting from under- to overweight. J Nutr 2001 Mar;131(3):893S-899S.
  5. Trends in obesity, underweight, and wasting among women attending prenatal clinics in urban Tanzania, 1995-2004. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 Jun;83(6):1387-1394.
  6. Nutrition transition in Mexico and in other Latin American countries. Nutr Rev 2004 Jul;62(7 Pt 2):S149-S157.
  7. Obesity prevalence and trends in Latin-American countries. Obes Rev 2001 May;2(2):99-106.
  8. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic: report of a WHO consultation. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2000.
  9. Impact of overweight and underweight on assisted reproduction treatment. Hum Reprod 2004 Nov;19(11):2523-2528.
  10. Mild hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in obese men. Metabolism 1982 Sep;31(9):871-875.
  11. Diminished paternity and gonadal function with increasing obesity in men. Fertil Steril 2008 Aug;90(2):346-351.
  12. Male obesity and alteration in sperm parameters. Fertil Steril 2008 Dec;90(6):2222-2225.
  13. Impact of male obesity on infertility: a critical review of the current literature. Fertil Steril 2008 Oct;90(4):897-904.
  14. Reduced fertility among overweight and obese men. Epidemiology 2006 Sep;17(5):520-523.
  15. Subfecundity in overweight and obese couples. Hum Reprod 2007 Jun;22(6):1634-1637.
  16. Men's body mass index and infertility. Hum Reprod 2007 Sep;22(9):2488-2493.
  17. Melanocortin 3 receptor gene and melanocortin 4 receptor gene mutations: the Asian perspective. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2012 Dec;28 (Suppl 2):26-31.
  18. The Asia-Pacific perspective: redefining obesity and its treatment; 2000.
  19. Body mass index in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormones among 1,558 Danish men. Fertil Steril 2004 Oct;82(4):863-870.
  20. Persistent organochlorines, sedentary occupation, obesity and human male subfertility. Hum Reprod 2005 Jan;20(1):208-215.
  21. Effect of body weight on sperm concentration in normozoospermic males. Arch Androl 2005 Jul-Aug;51(4):299-304.
  22. Effect of body weight on testosterone/estradiol ratio in oligozoospermic patients. Arch Androl 2006 Mar-Apr;52(2):97-102.
  23. Impact of body mass index values on sperm quantity and quality. J Androl 2006 May-Jun;27(3):450-452.
  24. Associations between andrological measures, hormones and semen quality in fertile Australian men: inverse relationship between obesity and sperm output. Hum Reprod 2009 Jul;24(7):1561-1568.
  25. Body mass index in relation to semen quality, sperm DNA integrity, and serum reproductive hormone levels among men attending an infertility clinic. Fertil Steril 2010 May;93(7):2222-2231.
  26. Semen parameters and hormonal profile in obese fertile and infertile males. Fertil Steril 2010 Jul;94(2):581-584.
  27. Do reproductive hormones explain the association between body mass index and semen quality? Asian J Androl 2007 Nov;9(6):827-834.
  28. Is overweight a risk factor for reduced semen quality and altered serum sex hormone profile? Fertil Steril 2008 Sep;90(3):619-626.
  29. Semen quality and reproductive hormones according to birthweight and body mass index in childhood and adult life: two decades of follow-up. Fertil Steril 2010 Jul;94(2):610-618.
  30. An internet-based prospective study of body size and time-to-pregnancy. Hum Reprod 2010 Jan;25(1):253-264.
  31. Overweight and seminal quality: a study of 794 patients. Fertil Steril 2010 Oct;94(5):1739-1743.
  32. The impact of body mass index on semen parameters and reproductive hormones in human males: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update 2010 May-Jun;16(3):293-311.
  33. Adipose tissue intracrinology: potential importance of local androgen/estrogen metabolism in the regulation of adiposity. Horm Metab Res 2002 Nov-Dec;34(11-12):737-745.
  34. The decline of androgen levels in elderly men and its clinical and therapeutic implications. Endocr Rev 2005 Oct;26(6):833-836.
  35. Leptin and androgens in male obesity: evidence for leptin contribution to reduced androgen levels. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999 Oct;84(10):3673-3680.
  36. Is overweight a risk factor for reduced semen quality and altered serum sex hormone profile? Fertil Steril 2008 Sep;90(3):619-626.
  37. Do reproductive hormones explain the association between body mass index and semen quality? Asian J Androl 2007 Nov;9(6):827-834.
  38. The effect of weight loss on reproductive hormones in obese men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1981 Oct;53(4):828-832.
  39. Effect of massive weight loss on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in obese men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1988 May;66(5):1019-1023.
  40. Weight loss and sex steroid metabolism in massively obese man. J Endocrinol Invest 1988 Mar;11(3):205-210.
  41. Sex hormone changes in morbidly obese patients after vertical banded gastroplasty. Eur Surg Res 1998;30(1): 43-47.
  42. Sex hormones and sexual function in obese men losing weight. Obes Res 2003 Jun;11(6):689-694.
  43. Changes in sex hormone-binding globulin and testosterone during weight loss and weight maintenance in abdominally obese men with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Obes Metab 2004 May;6(3):208-215.
  44. Elimination of errors induced during a routine human sperm motility analysis. Arch Androl 1979 Nov;3(3):201-210.
  45. Fundamentals of biostatistics. 5th ed. Duxbury; Blackwell; 2000. p. 80-240.
  46. Statistics in medicine. 2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press; 2005. p. 85-125.
  47. ; Richard, J. An introduction to biostatistics. A manual for students in health sciences. 4th ed. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India; 2006. p. 86-160.
  48. Sample size estimation and power analysis for clinical research studies. J Hum Reprod Sci 2012 Jan;5(1):7-13.
  49. Effect of female body weight on efficiency of donor AI. Arch Androl 2002 Sep-Oct;48(5):323-327.
  50. Hypoxia, depression of testosterone, and impotence in Pickwickian syndrome reversed by weight reduction. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Sep;289(6448):801-802.
  51. Beneficial impact of exercise and obesity interventions on erectile function and its risk factors. J Sex Med 2009 Mar;6 (Suppl 3):254-261.
  52. Effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on the sex steroids and quality of life in obese men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009 Apr;94(4):1329-1332.
  53. Secondary male factor infertility after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity: case report. Hum Reprod 2005 Apr;20(4):997-998.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.