Hypogonadism in Fathers and Perinatal Outcomes in Offspring: A Retrospective Analysis of U.S. Claims Data

To evaluate the association between hypogonadism in fathers and perinatal outcomes in the United States.

This retrospective study analyzed data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database between 2011 and 2017, where records from births were stratified based on whether the father had been diagnosed with hypogonadism or not. We performed the multivariable logistic regression analysis of primary perinatal complications, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction against the father's age, hypogonadism, and paternal comorbidities.

A total of 468,546 birth records were enrolled, and hypogonadism in fathers was found in 18,610 birth records (3.97%). Fathers with hypogonadism had a lower percentage of uncomplicated perinatal outcomes (53% vs 57.94%, P value <.001) and higher percentage of low birth weight (46.96% vs 41.75%, P value <.001) and preterm birth (7.64% vs 5.66%, P value <.001) compared to fathers without hypogonadism. Paternal hypogonadism was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth (odds ratio = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.25, P value <.001), low birth weight (odds ratio = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.10, P value <.001), and any perinatal complications (odds ratio = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.09, P value <.001).

Hypogonadism in fathers is associated with an 18%, 6.2%, and 6% higher risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and any perinatal complications, respectively. However, these results should be interpreted with caution as we were unable to control for the maternal risk factors affecting perinatal outcomes.