Semen quality and waiting time to pregnancy explored using association mining

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Andrology
• Human Fertility Studies

Background:

• Semen quality assessment is crucial for evaluating male infertility.
• Traditional semen analysis interprets parameters individually, overlooking complex interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between combinations of semen parameters and female partner age with waiting time to pregnancy (TTP).
• To identify threshold values for semen parameters influencing TTP.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 500 fertile men, including semen parameters, TTP, and partner age.
• Employed regression analysis and Association Rule Mining (ARM) to analyze parameter interactions.
• Categorized semen parameters into High, Medium, and Low for ARM.

Main Results:

• Shorter TTP was observed in younger men (≤32.1 years) and women (≤32.9 years).
• Specific thresholds for semen parameters (sperm concentration ≥46 million/mL, total count ≥179 million, progressive motility ≥63%, normal morphology ≥11.5%) were associated with decreased TTP.
• Approximately 100 combinations of semen parameters and female age influenced TTP; high motility and morphology often correlated with TTP ≤1 month, but could not compensate for low sperm concentration or count. Female age >32 years negatively impacted TTP, irrespective of male semen quality.

Conclusions:

• Association mining revealed that combined semen parameters, not individual ones, best predict TTP.
• Sperm count, motility, and morphology are all critical factors in fertility.
• Female age over 32 years presents a significant barrier to conception that cannot be overcome by enhanced male semen parameters.