Publication:

Male factor infertility and assisted conception: a 2-year retrospective analysis of pregnancy rates and treatment outcomes

Background Male factor infertility contributes nearly half of the burden of infertility among infertile couples, highlighting the importance of understanding the complex interplay between male reproductive health and fertility outcomes. To investigate the relationship between male factor infertility and pregnancy rates after assisted conception.

Methods We retrospectively analyzed data of couples attending fertility clinics due to inability to conceive spontaneously. The study focused on the patients seen between October 2022 and September 2024.

Results Of 298 couples evaluated for infertility during the period under review, 118 had seminal fluid abnormalities of varying degrees, projecting a prevalence of 39.6%. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of 2.26±1.30mL for volume, 15×106±16×106 cells/ml, 32×106±50×106 cells/ejaculate, 14.9±14.3% progressive motility, 15.8±12.5% non-progressive motility and 19.2±15.6% for normal morphology. Nearly 50% had Asthenozoospermia, 33.9% had Oligozoospermia and 13.9% had Azoospermia. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as the predominantly performed treatment type due poor semen quality. Pregnancy rate and live birth rate were 55.9% and 40.7% respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between semen parameters and pregnancy rate.

Conclusions The findings of this study can inform the development of personalized treatment approaches for male infertility and highlight the need for further research to identify the role of individual factor that interferes with semen quality and how it affects fertility outcomes.