Assessment of Associations Between Demographic Characteristics, Lifestyle Factors, and Sperm Quality Among Men...

Infertility is a significant global health concern affecting couples worldwide, with male factors contributing to approximately half of all cases. Given regional variations in reproductive determinants, location-specific evidence from clinic-based populations is essential to inform targeted clinical assessments and local public health strategies. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the statistical associations between demographic characteristics, clinical history, and lifestyle factors with sperm quality parameters in men attending a regional infertility referral center.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 men who were referred to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool included a researcher-made checklist consisting of four sections on individual demographic information, information and clinical records, one's lifestyle information, and information on the results of sperm testing that were collected from the individual's file. The information was then entered into SPSS 22 and was analyzed.

The average age of participants was 34.12 ± 6.45 years, ranging from 23 to 55 years. Among them, 60.5% were employed, 84.5% lived in cities, and 42% had an undergraduate education. Twenty percent had a history of chemical exposure or factory work, 25.5% smoked, 7% consumed alcohol, and 8% had sexual disorders. A significant inverse association was observed between age and age at marriage with sperm morphology (p = 0.004 and p = 0.022, respectively), indicating lower sperm morphology with increasing age and later age at marriage. Significant associations were also observed between certain clinical history variables (heart disease, diabetes, medication use, sexual dysfunction) and lifestyle factors (chemical exposure, alcohol consumption, smoking) with sperm parameters, particularly sperm forward motility (p < 0.05). These findings represent statistical associations and should not be interpreted as causal effects due to the cross-sectional study design.

Therefore, this study concludes that older age at marriage negatively impacts sperm quality. This study suggests that a later age at marriage is associated with lower sperm morphology and that certain clinical and lifestyle factors are associated with statistical differences in sperm parameters, particularly motility. These exploratory patterns underscore the necessity of accounting for demographic and behavioral variables during clinical assessments.