Intraindividual variability and redundancy of semen parameters

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Andrology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Intra- and interindividual variability in semen parameters can impact fertility assessments.
• Understanding the reliability of different semen parameters is crucial for accurate diagnosis and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the intra- and interindividual variability of key semen parameters.
• To estimate the reliability of semen parameters for predicting conception probability in regression models.
• To evaluate the redundancy and agreement between different semen parameters.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of two databases from male patients at a fertility clinic.
• Calculation of reliability coefficients (R) for semen parameters.
• Estimation of agreement using Kappa statistics between parameters.

Main Results:

• Semen concentration exhibited the highest reliability (R = 0.84).
• Motility and count showed moderate to good reliability (R = 0.66–0.81).
• Morphology had the lowest reliability (R = 0.48–0.54).
• Agreement was substantial only between concentration and count (Kappa = 0.80–0.84).

Conclusions:

• Semen concentration and count are the most reliable parameters for male fertility evaluation.
• Epidemiological studies on male infertility should consider multiple semen parameters due to moderate redundancy.
• Low reliability for morphology necessitates careful interpretation in clinical and research settings.